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DRESS 



AS A FINE ART 



WITH SUGGESTIONS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 
By MRS.^IERRIFIELD. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION ON 
By PROF. FAIRHOLT. 



BOSTON : 
JOHN P. JEWETT AND COMPANY. 

CLEVELAND, OHIO : 
JEWETT, PROCTOR, AND WORTHINGTON. 

18 5 4. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the yenr 1853, by 

JOHN P. JEWETT & CO., 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts 



PRESS OP CEO. C. RAND, 

WOOD CUT AND BOOK PniNTER, 

COIINIIILL, ItOSTOX. 

STEREOTTPEn AT TKE 
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. 



il-9~SlUH3 re^ 



PEEFACE. 



The fact that we derive our styles of dress from the 
same source as the English, and that the work of Mrs. 
Merrifield has been circulated among the forty thousand 
subscribers of the "London Art Journal," might perhaps be 
deemed sufficient apology for oifering it in its present form 
to the American public. It has received the unqualified 
approbation of the best publications in this country ; — 
entire chapters having been copied into the periodicals of 
the day ; this added to the above, and also to the high 
standing of the author, has induced the publishers to offer 
it to the great reading public of this country. 

The chapter on Head-dresses, which commences the book, 
is of much interest in itself, and affords an explanation of 
many of the descriptions in the body of the work. 

The closing chapter, on Children's Dress, by Mrs. Mer- 

(iii) 



IV PREFACE. 



rifield, will be deemed of more value by most persons than 
the cost of the entire work. 

A few verbal alterations only have been made in the 
original ; — the good sense of every reader will enable him 
to "understand the local allusions, and where they belong 
to England alone, to make the application. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

DESCRIPTION OF HEAD-DRESSES, 1 



CHAPTER II. 
DRESS, AS A FINE ART 10 

CHAPTER III. 
THE HEAD, 63 

CHAPTER IV. 
THE DRESS , 61 

CHAPTER V. 
THE FEET, 73 

CHAPTER VI. 
REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES 8i 

CHAPTER VII. 
ORNAMENT — ECONOMY, 95 

CHAPTER VIII. 
SOME THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. — BY MRS. MERRIFIELD, 121 

(V) 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PLATE I, 



Figure 1. Head-dress of Lady Ardene. 

2. A kind of hat. 

3. Steeple head-dress. 

4, 6. Head-dresses of Lady Rolestone. 

5. Heart-shaped head-dresses. 

7, 8. Head-di-esses of the time of Henry VIII. 

9, 11. Hats of the time of George II. 

10. Mthsdale hood. 

12. Hat of the time of Wilham III. 

13, 14. Hats of the time of Charles I. 

15, 16, 17. Head-dresses of 1798. 

18. Head-dress of 1700. 

19. Head-dress of the time of Henry VI. 

20. Combination of figs. 7, 8. 
21, 22. Hats for ladies in 1786. 

23. Style of 1785. 

24, 25, 26. Style of 1782. 



PLATE II. 

Figure 27. Style of 1782. 

28, 30. Head-dress of 1790. 

(vii) 



Vlll 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Figure 29. Head-dress of the French peasantry. 

31. Fashion of 1791. 

32, 33. Fashion of 1789. 

36. Head-dress of the commencement of the present 

century. 

35. Enghsh housemaid. 

37. Gigot sleeves, with cloak worn over. 

38. From a picture in the Louvre. 



PLATE III. 

Figure 39. Dress, with short waist and sleeves. 

41. Dress of the mother of Henry IV. 
40. Dress of Henrietta Maria. 

42. From the " Illustrated London News." 



PLATE IV. 

Figures 43, 44. From the plates of Sommaering, shows the waist 
of the Venus of antiquity. 
45, 46. The waist of a modern lady, from the above. 

49. From the " London News." 

50. Woman of Mitylene. 

53. Algerine woman. 

54. The archon's wife. 



PLATE V. 



Figure 47. Athenian peasant. 

48. Shepherdess of Arcadia. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



IX 



Figure 51. Athenian woman. 

52. French costume of tlae tenth century. 
62. Lady of the time of Henry V. 

PLATE VI. 



Figure 55. 
56. 
57. 
59. 
61. 



After Parmegiano. 
Titian's daughter. 
Lady Harrington. 
Roman peasant. 
Giffot sleeves. 



PLATE VII. 

Figure 63. From Bonnard's Costumes. 

64. Sancta Victoria. 

65. Anne, Countess of Chesterfield, from Vandyck. 

67. Woman of Markinitza. 

PLATE VIII. 

Figure 60. Lady Lucy Percy, from Vandyck. 

69, 70. By Jules David, in " Le Moniteur de la Mode." 

68. The hoop, after Hogarth. 

PLATE IX. 



Figure 66. From Rubens's " Descent from the Cross.' 

71. From a drawing by Gainsborough. 

72. Woman of Myconia. 
74. Queen Anne. 

6 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PLATE X. 



Figure 73. Charlotte de la Tremouille. 

75. After Gainsborough. 

76. After Gainsborough. 

77. Costume of Mi's. Bloomer. 



PLATE XI. 

Figure 78. From the embroidery on fig. 47, pi. 5. 

79. From the sleeve of the same dress, above. 

80. From the sleeve of the pelisse. 

81. The pattern embroidered from the waist to the 

skirt of the dress, fig. 51, pi. 5. 

82. The border of the shawl, fig. 51. 

83. Sleeve of the same, figure 51. 

84. Design on the apron, fig. 48, pi. 5. 

85. From the border of the same dress, fig. 48. 

PLATE XII. 

FigiTre 86. Pattern round the hem of the long under dress, 
fig. 51, pi. 5. 
87, 88. Borders of shawls. 

89. Infant's dress, exhibited at the World's Fair in 
London. 
89, 90. From " Le Moniteur de la Mode," by Jules David 
and Pv-eville, pubhshed at Paris, London, New 
York, and St. Petersburg. 




CHAPTER I. 

DESCRIPTION OF HEAD-DRESSES. 

IG. 1 is a front view of a head-dress 
of Lady Arderne, (who died about 
the middle of the fifteenth century.) 
The caul of the head-dress is richly 
embroidered, the veil above being 
supported by wires, in the shape of a heart, with 
double lappets behind the head, which are some- 
times transparent, as if made of gauze. 

Such gauze veils, or rather coverings for the 
head-dress, are frequently seen in the miniatures of 
MSS. Figs. 2, 3, are here selected from the royal 
MS. In Fig. 3, the steeple head-dress of the lady is 
entirely covered by a thin veil of gauze, which hangs 
from its summit, and projects over her face. Fig. 2 
has a sort of hat, widening from its base, and made 

of cloth of gold, richly set with stones. Such jew- 
I • 1 



2 DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



elled head-dresses are represented on the heads of 
noble ladies, and are frequently ornamented in the 
most beautiful manner, with stones of various 
tints. 

The slab to the memory of John Eolestone, Esq., 
sometime Lord of Swarston, and Sicili, his wife, in 
Swarkstone Church, Derbyshire, w^ho died in 1482, 
gives the head-dress of the said Sicili as represented 
in Fig. 6. It is a simple cap, radiating in gores 
over the head, having a knob in its centre and a 
close falling veil of cloth affixed round the back. 
It seems to have been constructed as much 
for comfort as for show : the same remark may 
be applied to Fig. 4, which certainly cannot be 
recommended for its beauty, being a stunted cone, 
with a back veil closely fitting about the neck, and 
very sparingly ornamented ; it was worn by Mary, 
wife of John Eolestone, who died in 1485. These 
may both have been plain country ladies, far re- 
moved from rLondon, and little troubled with its 
fashionable freaks. Fig. 5 represents the fashion- 
able head-dress of the last days of the house of York. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



It has been termed the heart-shaped head-dress, 
from the appearance it presents when viewed in front, 
which resembles that of a heart, and sometimes a 
crescent. It is made of black silk or velvet, orna- 
mented with gold studs, and having a jewel over the 
forehead. It has a long band or lappet, such as the 
gentlemen then wore affixed to their hats. Figs. 7 
and 8 represent head-dresses worn in the time of 
Heniy VIII. These are a sort of cap, which seem to 
combine coverchief and hood. Fig. 7 was at this 
time the extreme of fashion. It is edged with lace, 
and ornamented with jewelry, and has altogether a 
look of utter unmeaningness and confusion of form. 
Fig. 8 has a hood easier of comprehension, but no 
whit better in point of elegance than her predeces- 
sors ; it fits the head closely, having pendent jewels 
round the bottom and crossing the brow. Figs. 9 
and 11 are hats of a very simple style, such as were 
worn during the reign of George II., when an affected 
simplicity, or milk-maiden look, was coveted by the 
ladies, both high and low. The hood worn by Fig. 
10 was a complete envelope for the head, and was 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



used in riding, or travelling, as well as in walking in 
the parks. These were called Nithsdales, because 
Lady Nithsdale covered her husband's face with one 
of them, after dressing him in her clothes, and thus 
disguised he escaped from the Tower. Fig. 12 rep- 
resents a hat worn during the reign of William III. 
by a damsel who was crying, " Fair cherries, at six- 
pence a pound ! " It is of straw, with a ribbon tied 
around it in a simple and tasteful manner ; the hat 
is altogether a light and graceful affair, and its want 
of obtrusiveness is perhaps its chief recommenda- 
tion. Figs. 13 and 14 are hats such as were worn 
by citizens and their wives during the reigns of 
James and Charles I. Figs. 15, 16, 17, w^ere such 
head-dresses as were in vogue in 1798. Fig. 15 was 
of a deep orange color, with bands of dark chocolate 
brown ; a bunch of scarlet tufts came over the fore- 
head, and it was held on the head by a kerchief of 
white muslin tied beneath the chin. Fig. 16 is a 
straw bonnet, the crown decorated with red perpen- 
dicular stripes, the front over the face plain, and a 
row of laurel leaves surrounds the head; a laven- 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



der-colored tie secures it under the chin. Bonnets 
somewhat similar to those now worn were fashion- 
able two years previous to this ; yet a small, low- 
crowned hat, like the one in Fig. 17, was as much 
patronized as any head-dress had ever been. 

Cocked hats, such as is represented in Fig. 18, 
were worn by the gentlemen in the last part of the 
year 1700. Fig. 19 represents one of the head- 
dresses worn during the reign of Henry YI. It is a 
combination of coverchief and turban. Fig. 20 is a 
combination of the head-dress of Fig. 7 with the 
lappeted hood of Fig. 8. In 1786, a very large- 
brimmed hat became fashionable with the ladies, 
and continued in vogue for the next two years ; an 
idea of the back view of it is given in Fig. 21, and 
a front view in Fig. 22. It was decorated with 
triple feathers, and a broad band of ribbon was tied 
in a bow behind, and allowed to stream down the 
back. The elegance of turn which the brim of such 
a hat afforded was completely overdone by the 
enormity of its proportion ; and the shelter it gave 
the face can now be considered as the only recom- 



6 DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



mendation of this fasliion. The hat worn by Fig. 
23 was the style of 1785. Feathers were then much 
in favor, and a poet of the time writes of the 
ladies, — 

" No longer they hunt after ribbons and lace ; 
Undertakers have got in the milliner's place ; 
"With hands sacrilegious they've plundered the dead, 
And transferred the gay plumes from the hearse to the head." 

Fig. 24 represents the head-dress worn in 1782. 
At no period in the history of the world was any 
thing more absurd in head-dress than the one here 
depicted. The body of this erection was formed 
of tow, over which the hair was turned, and false 
hair added in great curls ; bobs and ties, powdered 
to profusion, then hung all over with vulgarly large 
rows of pearls, or glass beads, fit only to decorate a 
chandelier ; flowers as obtrusive were stuck about 
this heap of finery, which was surmounted by broad 
silken bands and great ostrich feathers, until the 
head-dress of a lady added three feet to her stature, 
and "the male sex," to use the words of the " Spec- 
tator," '' became suddenly dwarfed beside her." 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



To effect this, much time and trouble were wasted, 
and great personal annoyance was suffered. Heads, 
when properly dressed, " kept for three weeks," as 
the barbers quaintly phrased it ; that they would not 
really " keep " longer, may be seen by the many 
receipts they gave for the destruction of insects, 
which bred in the flour and pomatum so liberally 
bestowed upon them. Fig. 25 is another fashionable 
outdoor head-dress. Fig. 26 represents one of the 
hats invented to cover the head when full dressed. 
It is as extravagant as the head-dresses. It is a 
large but light compound of gauze, wire, ribbons, 
and flowers, sloping over the forehead, and shelter- 
ing the head entirely by its immensity. Fig. 27 
shows how immensely globular the head of a lady 
had become ; it swells all around like a huge pump- 
kin, and curls of a corresponding size aid in the 
caricature which now passed as fashionable taste. 
As if this were not load enough for the fair shoulders 
of the softer sex, it is swathed with a huge veil or 
scarf, giving the wearer an exceedingly top-heavy 
look. In 1790, the ladies appeared in hats similar 



8 DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 



to tliose worn by the gentlemen in 1792; these are 
represented in Figs. 28 and 30. They were gayly 
decorated with gold strings, and tassels, crossed and 
recrossed over the crown. The brims were broad, 
raised at the sides, and pointed over the face in a 
manner not inelegant. Fig. 29 has the tall, ugly 
bonnet, copied from the French peasantry; a long 
gauze border is attached to the edges, which hangs 
like a veil around the face, and partially conceals it. 
A hat of a very piquant character was adopted by 
the ladies in 1791, of which a specimen is given in 
Fig. 31. It is decorated with bows, and a large 
feather nods not ungracefully over the crown from 
behind. A person with good face and figure must 
have looked becomingly beneath it. Fig. 32 is an 
example of the bad taste which still peeped forth. 
It is one of the most fashionable head-dresses worn 
in 1789, and is the back view of a lady's head, sur- 
mounted by a very small cap or hat, puffed round 
with ribbon ; the hair is arranged in a long, straight 
bunch down the neck, where it is tied by a ribbon, 
and flows in curls beneath ; long curls repose one on 




m^W^' 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAD-DRESSES. 9 



each shoulder, while the hair at the sides of the head 
is frizzed out on each side in a most fantastic form. 
The hat of Fig. 33, shaped like a chimney pot, and 
decorated with small tufts of ribbon, and larger 
bows, which fitted on a lady's head like the cover on 
a canister, was viewed with '' marvellous favor" by 
many a fair eye, in the year 1789. It was some- 
times bordered with lace, as in Fig. 29, thus hiding 
the entire head, and considerably enhancing its 
ugliness. 

2 



10 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART 



CHAPTER II. 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 




N a state so highly civilized as that in 
which we live, the art of dress has 
become extremely complicated. That 
it is an art to set off onr persons to the 
greatest advantage must be generally 
admitted, and we think it is one which, under cer- 
tain conditions, may be studied by the most scru- 
pulous. An art implies skill and dexterity in setting 
off or employing the gifts of nature to the greatest 
advantage, and we are surely not wrong in laying it 
down as a general principle, that every one may 
endeavor to set off or improve his or her personal 
appearance, provided that, in doing so, the party is 
guilty of no deception. As this proposition may be 
liable to some misconstruction, we will endeavor to 
explain our meaning. 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 11 



In the first place, the principle is acted upon by 
all who study cleanliness and neatness, which are 
universally considered as positive duties, that are 
not only conducive to our own comfort, but that 
society has a right to expect from us. Again : the 
rules of society require that to a certain extent we 
should adopt those forms of dress which are in com- 
mon use, but our own judgment should be exercised 
in adapting these forms to our individual propor- 
tions, complexions, ages, and stations in society. 
In accomplishing this object, the most perfect 
honesty and sincerity of purpose may be observed. 
No deception is to be practised, no artifice em- 
ployed, beyond that which is exercised by the 
painter, who arranges his subjects in the most 
pleasing forms, and who selects colors which har- 
monize with each other ; and by the manufacturer, 
who studies pleasing combinations of lines and 
colors. We exercise taste in the decoration and 
arrangement of our apartments and in our furniture, 
and we are equally at liberty to do so with regard 
to our dress ; but we know that taste is not an 



12 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



instinctive perception of the beautiful and agreeable, 
but is founded upon the observance of certain laws 
of nature. When we conform to these laws, the 
result is pleasing and satisfactory ; when we offend 
against them, the contrary effect takes place. Our 
persons change with our years ; the child passes into 
youth, the youth into maturity, maturity changes 
into old age. Every period of life has its peculiar 
external characteristics, its pleasures, its pains, and 
its pursuits. The art of dress consists in properly 
adapting our clothing to these changes. 

We violate the laws of nature when we seek to 
repair the ravages of time on our complexions by 
paint, when we substitute false hair for that which 
age has thinned or blanched, or conceal the change 
by dyeing our own gray hair ; when we pad our 
dress to conceal that one shoulder is larger than the 
other. To do either is not only bad taste, but it is 
a positive breach of sincerity. It is bad taste, be- 
cause the means we have resorted to are contrary to 
the laws of nature. The application of paint to the 
skin produces an effect so different from the bloom 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 13 



of youth, that it can only deceive an unpractised 
eye. It is the same with the hair : there is such a 
want of harmony between false hair and the face 
which it surrounds, especially when that face bears 
the marks of age, and the color of the hair denotes 
youth, that the effect is unpleasing in the extreme. 
Deception of this kind, therefore, does not answer 
the end which it had in view ; it deceives nobody 
but the unfortunate perpetrator of the would-be 
deceit. It is about as senseless a proceeding as that 
of the goose in the story, who, when pursued by the 
fox, thrust her head into a hedge, and thought that, 
because she could no longer see the fox, the fox could 
not see her. But in a moral point of view it is 
worse than silly; it is adopted with a view to de- 
ceive ; it is acting a lie to all intents and purposes, 
and it ought to be held in the same kind of detes- 
tation as falsehood with the tongue. Zimmerman 
has an aphorism which is applicable to this case — 
" Those who conceal their age do not conceal their 
folly." 

The weak and vain, who hope to conceal their age 



14 DEESS, AS A FINE ART. 



by paint and false hair, are, however, morally less 
culpable than another class of dissemblers, inasmuch 
as the deception practised by the first is so palpable 
that it really deceives no one. With regard to the 
other class of dissemblers, we feel some difficulty in 
approaching a subject of so much delicacy. Yet, 
as we have stated that we are at liberty to im- 
prove our natural appearance by well-adapted dress, 
we think it our duty to speak out, lest we should 
be considered as in any way countenancing decep- 
tion. We allude to those physical defects induced 
by disease, which are frequently united to great 
beauty of countenance, and which are sometimes 
so carefully concealed by the dress, that they are 
only discovered after marriage. 

Having thus, we hope, established the innocence 
of our motives, we shall proceed to mention the 
legitimate means by which the personal appearance 
may be improved by the study of the art of dress. 

Fashion in dress is usually dictated by caprice or 
accident, or by the desire of novelty. It is never, 
we believe, based upon the study of the figure. 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 15 



It is somewhat singular that while every lady 
thinks herself at liberty to wear any textile fabric or 
any color she pleases, she considers herself bound to 
adopt the form and style of dress which the fashion 
of the day has rendered popular. The despotism 
of fashion is limited to form, but color is free. We 
have shown, in another essay, (see closing chap- 
ter,) what licentiousness this freedom in the adop- 
tion and mixture of colors too frequently induces. 
We have also shown that the colors worn by ladies 
should be those which contrast or harmonize best 
with their individual complexions, and we have 
endeavored to make the selection of suitable colors 
less difficult by means of a few general rules founded 
upon the laws of harmony and contrast of colors. 
In the present essay, we propose to offer some 
general observations on form in dress. The sub- 
ject is, however, both difficult and complicated, and 
as it is easier to condemn than to improve or 
perfect, we shall more frequently indicate what 
fashions should not be adopted, than recommend 
others to the patronage of our readers. 



16 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



The immediate objects of dress are twofold — 
namely, decency and warmth ; but so many minor 
considerations are suffered- to influence us in choos- 
ing our habiliments, that these primary objects are 
too frequently kept out of sight. Dress should be 
not only adapted to the climate, it should also be 
light in weight, should yield to the movements of the 
body, and should be easily put on or removed. It 
should also be adapted to the station in society, and 
to the age, of the individual. These are the essen- 
tial conditions ; yet in practice how frequently are 
they overlooked ; in fact, how seldom are they ob- 
served ! Next in importance are general elegance 
of form, harmony in the arrangement and selection 
of the colors, and special adaptation in form and 
color to the person of the individual. To these 
objects we purpose directing the attention of the 
reader. 

It is impossible, within the limits we have pre- 
scribed ourselves, to enter into the subject of dress 
minutely ; we can only deal with it generally, and 
lay down certain broad principles for our guidance. 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 17 



If these are observed, there is still a wide margin 
left for fancy and fashion. These may find scope in 
trimmings and embroidery ; the application of which, 
however, must also be regulated by good taste and 
knowledge. The physical variety in the human 
race is infinite; so are the gradations and combina- 
tions of color ; yet we expect a few forms of dress to 
suit every age and complexion ! Instead of the 
beautiful, the graceful, and the becoming, what are 
the attractions offered by the dress makers ? What 
are the terms used to invite the notice of customers ? 
Novelty and distinction. The shops are "Magasins 
de Nouveautes," the goods are "distingues," " re- 
cherches, " ' ' nouveaux, " " the last fashion. ' ' The new 
fashions are exhibited on the elegant person of one 
of the dress maker's assistants, who is selected for 
this purpose, and are adopted by the purchaser 
without reflecting how much of the attraction of the 
dress is to be ascribed to the fine figure of the wearer, 
how much to the beauty of the dress, or whether it 
will look equally well on herself. So the. fashion is 
set, and then it is followed by others, until at last it 

3 



18 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



becomes singular not to adopt some modification of 
it, although the extreme may be avoided. The best 
dressers are generally those who follow the fashions 
at a great distance. 

Fashion is the only tyrant against whom modern 
civilization has not carried on a crusade, and its 
power is still as unlimited and despotic as it ever 
was. From its dictates there is no appeal ; health 
and decency are alike offered up at the shrine of this 
Moloch. At its command its votaries melt under 
fur boas in the dog days, and freeze with bare necks 
and arms, in lace dresses and satin shoes, in Jan- 
uary. Then, such is its caprice, that no sooner does 
a fashion become general, than, let its merits or 
beauties be ever so great, it is changed for one which 
perhaps has nothing but its novelty to recommend 
it. Like the bed of Procrustes, fashions are com- 
pelled to suit every one. The same fashion is 
adopted by the tall and the short, the stout and the 
slender, the old and the young, with what effect we 
have daily opportunities of observing. 

Yet, with all its vagaries, fashion is extremely 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 19 



aristocratic in its tendencies. Every change ema- 
nates from the highest circles, who reject it when 
it has descended to the vulgar. No new form 
of dress was ever successful which did not origi- 
nate among the aristocracy. From the ladies 
of the court, the fashions descend through all the 
ranks of society, until they at last die a natural 
death among the cast-off clothes of the housemaid. 
Fig. 35. 

Had the Bloomer costume, which has obtained so 
much notoriety, been introduced by a tall and grace- 
ful scion of the aristocracy, either of rank or talent, 
instead of being at first adopted by the middle 
ranks, it might have met with better success. We 
have seen that Jenny Lind could introduce a new 
fashion of wearing the hair, and a new form of hat 
or bonnet, and Mme. Sontag a cap which bears her 
name. But it was against all precedent to admit 
and follow a fashion, let its merits be ever so great, 
that emanated from the stronghold of democracy. 
We are content to adopt the greatest absurdities in 
dress when they are brought from Paris, or recom- 



20 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



mended by a Frencli name ; but American fashions 
have no chance of success in aristocratic England. 
It is beginning at the wrong end. 

The eccentricities of fashion are so great that 
they would appear incredible if we had not ocular 
evidence of their prevalence in the portraits which 
still exist. At one period we read of horned head- 
dresses, which were so large and high, that it is said 
the doors of the palace at Yincennes were obliged 
to be altered to admit Isabel of Bavaria (queen of 
Charles VI. of France) and the ladies of her suite. 
In the reign of Edward IV., the ladies' caps 
were three quarters of an ell in height, and were 
covered by pieces of lawn hanging down to the 
ground, or stretched over a frame till they resem- 
bled the wings of a butterfly.* At another time 
the ladies' heads were covered with gold nets, like 
those worn at the present day. Then, again, the 
hair, stiffened with x)owder and pomatum, and sur- 

* Mr. Planche has shown, in his " History of British Costume," 
that these head-dresses are the prototypes of those still worn by 
the women of Normandy. 



DEESS, AS A FINE ART. 21 



mounted by flowers, feathers, and ribbons, was 
raised on the top of the head like a tower. Such 
head-dresses were emphatically called ''tetesy (See 
chapter on Head-Dress.) Fig. 36. But to go back 
no farther than the beginning of the present centu- 
ry, where Mr. Fairholt's interesting work on British 
Costume terminates, what changes have we to re- 
cord ! The first fashion we remember was that of 
scanty clothing, when slender figures were so much 
admired, that many, to whom nature had denied 
this qualification, left off the under garments neces- 
sary for warmth, and fell victims to the colds and 
consumptions induced by their adoption of this 
senseless practice. To these succeeded waists so 
short that the girdles were placed almost under the 
arms, and as the dresses were worn at that time 
indecently low in the neck, the body of the dress 
was almost a myth. Fig. 39. 

About the same time, the sleeves were so short, 
and the skirts so curtailed in length, that there was 
reason to fear that the whole of the drapery might 
also become a myth. A partial reaction then took 



22 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



place, and the skirts were lengthened without in- 
creasing the width of the dresses, the consequence 
of which was felt in the country, if not in the towns. 
Then woe to those who had to cross a ditch or a 
stile ! One of two things was inevitable ; either the 
unfortunate lady was thrown to the ground, — and 
in this case it w^as no easy matter to rise again, — or 
her. dress was split up. The result depended en- 
tirely upon the strength of the materials of which 
the dress was composed. The next variation, the 
gigot sleeves, namely, were a positive deformity, in- 
asmuch as they gave an unnatural width to the 
shoulders — a defect which was further increased by 
the large collars which fell over them, thus violating 
one of the first principles of beauty in the female 
form, which demands that this part of the body 
should be narrow ; breadth of shoulder being one 
of the distinguishing characteristics of the stronger 
sex. We remember to have seen an engraving from 
a portrait, by Lawrence, of the late Lady Blessing- 
ton, in which the breadth of the shoulders appeared 
to be at least three quarters of a yard. When a 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART, 23 



person of low stature, wearing sleeves of this de- 
scription, was covered with one of the long cloaks, 
which were made wide at the shoulders to admit the 
sleeves, and to which was appended a deep and very 
full cape, the effect was ridiculous, and the outline 
of the whole mass resembled that of a haycock 
with a head on the top. Fig. 37. One absurdity 
generally leads to another ; to balance the wide 
shoulders, the bonnets and caps were made of enor- 
mous dimensions, and were decorated with a profu- 
sion of ribbons and flowers. So absurd was the 
whole combination, that, when we meet with a por- 
trait of this period, we can only look on it in the 
light of a caricature, and wonder that such should 
ever have been so universal as to be adopted at last 
by all who wished to avoid singularity. The transi- 
tion from the broad shoulders and gigot sleeves to 
the tight sleeves and graceful black scarf was quite 
refreshing to a tasteful eye. These were a few of 
the freaks of fashion during the last half century. 
Had they been quite harmless, we might have con- 
sidered them as merely ridiculous ; but some of them 



24 DRESS, AS A FINE AET. 



were positively indecent, and others detrimental to 
health. We grieve especially for the former charge : 
it is an anomaly for which, considering the modest 
habits and education of our countrywomen, we find 
it difficult to account. 

It is singular that the practice of wearing dresses 
cut low round the bust should be limited to what is 
called full dress, and to the higher, and, except in 
this instance, the more refined classes. Is it to dis- 
play a beautiful neck and shoulders ? No ; for in 
this case it would be confined to those who had 
beautiful necks and shoulders to display. Is it to 
obtain the admiration of the other sex ? That cannot 
be ; for we believe that men look upon this exposure 
with unmitigated distaste, and that they are in- 
clined to doubt the modesty of those young ladies 
Avho make so f)rofuse a display of their charms. 
But if objectionable in the young, whose youth and 
beauty might possibly be deemed some extenuation, 
it is disgusting in those whose bloom is past, 
whether their forms are developed with a ripe luxu- 
riance which makes the female fio-ures of Eubens 



■^o' 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 25 



appear in Gomparison slender and refined, or whether 
the yellow skin, stretched over the wiry sineAvs of 
the neck, remind one of the old women whom some 
of the Italian masters were accustomed to introduce 
into their pieces, to enhance, by contrast, the beauty 
of the principal figures. Every period of life has 
a style of dress peculiarly appropriate to it, and we 
maintain that the uncovered bosom so conspicuous 
in the dissolute reign of Charles II., and from 
which, indeed, the reign of Charles I. was not, as 
we learn from the Yandyck portraits, exempt, 
should be limited, even in its widest extension, to 
feminine youth, or rather childhood. 

If the dress be cut low, the bust should be covered 
after the modest and becoming fashion of the Italian 
women, whose highly picturesque costume painters 
are so fond of representing. The white drapery has 
a peculiarly good effect, placed as it is between the 
skin and richly-colored bodice. As examples of 
this style of dress, we may refer to Sir Charles East- 
lake's "Pilgrims in Sight of Rome," "The Grape 
Gatherer of Capri," by Lehmann, and "The Dancing 

4 



26 DRESS, AS A FINE ART, 



Lesson," by Mr. Uwins, all of which are engraved 
in the Art Joiirnal. Another hint may be borrowed 
from the Italian costume ; we may just allude to it 
en 2Mss(mt. If bodices fitting to the shape must be 
worn, they should be laced across the front in the 
Italian fashion. Fig. 38. By this contrivance the 
dress will suit the figure more perfectly, and as the 
lace may be lengthened or shortened at pleasure, 
any degree of tightness may be given, and the 
bodice may be accommodated to the figure without 
compressing it. We find by the picture in the 
Louvre called sometimes "Titian's Mistress" that 
this costume is at least as old as Titian. 

We have noticed the changes and transitions of 
fashion ; we must mention one point in which it has 
continued constant from the time of William Rufus 
until the present day, and which, since it has en- 
tailed years of suffering, and in many instances has 
caused death, demands our most serious attention. 
We allude to the pernicious practice of tight lacing, 
which, as appears from contemporary paintings, was 
as general on the continent as in England. 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 2.7 



The savage American Indian changes the shape 
of the soft and elastic bones of the skull of his 
infant by compressing it between two boards ; the 
intelligent but prejudiced Chinese suffers the head 
to grow as nature formed it, but confines the foot 
of the female to the size of an infant's ; while 
the highly-intellectual and well-informed European 
lady limits the grow^th of her waist by the pressure 
of the stays. When we consider the importance of 
the organs which suffer by these customs, surely we 
must acknowledge that the last is the most bar- 
barous practice of the three. 

We read in the history of France that the war- 
like Franks had such a dislike to coriDulency that 
they inflicted a fine upon all who could not encircle 
their waists with a band of a certain length. How 
far this extraordinary custom may have been influ- 
ential in introducing the predilection for small 
waists among the ladies of that country, as well 
as our own through the Norman conquerors, we 
cannot determine. 

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the whole 



28 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



of the upper part of the body, frora the waist to 
the chin, was encased in a cuirass of whalebone, 
the rigidity of w^hich rendered easy and graceful 
movement impossible. The portrait of Elizabeth 
by Zucchero, with its stiff dress and enormous ruff, 
and which has been so frequently engraved, must 
be in the memory of all our readers. Stiffness 
was indeed the characteristic of ladies' dress at this 
period ; the whalebone cuirass, covered with the 
richest brocaded silks, was united at the waist with 
the equally stiff vardingale or fardingale, which 
descended to the feet in the form of a large bell, 
without a single fold. 

There is a portrait in the possession of Mr. Sey- 
mour Fitzgerald of the unfortunate Mary Queen 
of Scots, when quite young, in a dress of this kind ; 
and one cannot help pitying the poor girl's rigid 
confinement in her stiff and uncomfortable dress. 
Fig. 41 represents Jeanne d'Albret, the mother of 
Henry IV., in the fardingale. 

With Henrietta Maria dresses cut low in the front, 
(Fig. 40,) and floAving draperies, as we find them 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 29 



in the Yandyck portraits, came into fashion, but the 
figure still retained its stiffness around the waist, 
and has continued to do so through all the gra- 
dations and variations in shape and size of the 
hoop petticoat, and the scanty draperies of a later 
period, until the present day.* 

If the proportions of the figure were generally 
understood, we should not hear of those deplorable, 
and in many cases fatal, results of tight lacing 
which have unfortunately been so numerous. So 
general has the pernicious practice been in this 
country, that a medical friend, who is professor of 
anatomy in a provincial academy, informed us that 
there was great difficulty in procuring a model 
whose waist had not been compressed by stays. 
That this is true of other localities besides that 



* The fardingale differed from the hoop in the following par- 
ticulars : The hoop petticoat was gathered round the waist, while 
the fardingale was without a fold of any description. The most 
extraordinary instances we remember to have seen of the fardin- 
gale, are in two or three pictures of the Virgin in the Spanish 
gallery in the Louvre, where the fardingale in which the Virgin 
is dressed takes the form of an enormous mitre. 



30 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



alluded to, may be inferred from a passage in Mr. 
Hay's lectm^e to the Society of Arts " On the Ge- 
ometrical Principles of Beauty," in which he men- 
tions having, for the purpose of verifying his theory, 
employed "an artist who, having studied the human 
figure at the life academies on the continent, in 
London, and in Edinburgh, was well acquainted 
with the subject," to make a careful drawing of 
the best living model which could be procured for 
the purpose. Mr. Hay observes, with reference to 
this otherwise fine figure, that " the waist has evi- 
dently been, compressed by the use of stays." In 
further confirmation of the prevalence of this bad 
habit, we may refer to Etty's pictures, in which this 
defect is but too ajoparent. 

We fear, from Mr. Planche's extracts, that the 
evil was perpetuated by the poets and romance 
writers of the Norman period ; and we are sure that 
the novelists of our own times have much to an- 
swer for on this score. Had they not been forever 
praising " taper waists," tight lacing would have 
shared the fate of other fashions, and have been 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



31 



banislied from all civilized society. Similar blame 
does not attach to the painter and sculptor. The 
creations of their invention are modelled upon the 
true principles of proportion and beauty, and in 
their works a small waist and foot are always 
accompanied by a slender form. In the mind of 
the poet and novelist the same associations may 
take place : when a writer describes the slender 
waist or small foot, he probably sees mentally the 
whole slender figure. The small waist is a proj^or- 
tionate part of the figure of his creation. But there 
is this difference between the painter and sculptor, 
and the novelist. The works of the first two ad- 
dress themselves to the eye, and every part of the 
form is present to the spectator; consequently, as 
regards form, nothing is left to the imagination. 
With respect to the poet and novelist, their cre- 
ations are almost entirely mental ones ; their de- 
scriptions touch upon a few striking points only, 
and are seldom so full as to fill up the entire 
form : much is, therefore, necessarily left to the 
imagination of the reader. Now, the fashion in 



32 DRESS, AS A FINE ART, 



which the reader will supply the details left un- 
determined by the poet and novelist, and fill up 
their scanty and shadowy outlines, depends entirely 
upon his knowledge of form ; consequently, if this 
be small, the images which arise in the mind of the 
reader from the perusal of works of genius are con- 
fused and imperfect, and the proportions of one 
class of forms are assigned to, or mingled with, 
those of others, without the slightest regard to 
truth and nature. When we say, therefore, that 
writers leave much to the imagination, it may too 
frequently be understood, to the ignorance of the 
reader ; for the imaginations of those acquainted 
with form and proportion, who generally constitute 
the minority, always create well-proportioned ideal 
forms; while the ideal productions of the unedu- 
cated, whether expressed by the pencil, the chisel, 
or the pen, are always ill proportioned and defective. 
The most efficient method of putting an end to 
the practice of tight lacing will be, not merely to 
point out its unhealthiness, and even dangerous 
consequences, because these, though imminent, are 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 33 



uncertain, — every lady who resorts to the practice 
hoping that she, individually, may escape the pen- 
alty, — but to prove that the practice, so far from 
adding to the beauty of the figure, actually deteri- 
orates it. This is an effect, not doubtful, like the 
former case, but an actual and positive fact; and, 
therefore, it supjDlies a good and sufficient reason, 
and one which the most obtuse intellect can com- 
prehend, for avoiding the practice. Young ladies 
will sometimes, it is said, run the risk of ill health 
for the sake of the interest that in some cases at- 
taches to "delicate health;" but is there any one 
who would like to be told that, by tight lacing, 
she makes her figure not only deformed, but pos- 
itively ugly? This, however, is the plain unvar- 
nished truth ; and, by asserting it, we are striking 
at the root of the evil. The remedy is easy : give 
to every young lady a general knowledge of form, 
and of the principles of beauty as applied to the 
human frame, and when these are better under- 
stood, and acted on, tight lacing will die a nat- 
ural death. 



34 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



The study of form, on scientific principles, has 
hitherto been limited entirely to men ; and if some 
women have attained this knowledge, it has been 
by their own unassisted efforts ; that is to say, with- 
out the advantages which men derive from lectures 
and academical studies. In this, as in other ac- 
quirements, the pursuit of knowledge, as regards 
women, is always attended with difficulties. While 
fully concurring in the propriety of having separate 
schools for male and female students, we do think 
that a knowledge of form may be communicated 
to all persons, and that a young woman will not 
make the worse wife, or mother, for understanding 
the economy of the human frame, and for having 
acquired the power of appreciating its beauties. 
We fear that there are still some jDcrsons whose 
minds are so contracted as to think that, not only 
studies of this nature, but even the contemplation 
of undraped statuary, are derogatory to the delicacy 
and purity of the female mind ; but we are satis- 
fied that the thinking part of the community will 
approve the course we recommend. Dr. Southwood 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 35 



Smith, who is so honorably distinguished by his 
endeavors to promote the sanatory condition of the 
people, strenuously advocates the necessity of giving 
to all women a knowledge of the structure and 
functions of the body, with a view to the proper 
discharge of their duties as mothers. He remarks 
(Preface to " Philosophy of Health ") on this sub- 
ject, " I look upon that notion of delicacy which 
would exclude women from knowledge calculated in 
an extraordinary degree to open, exalt, and purify 
their minds, and to fit them for the performance 
of their duties, as alike degrading to those to whom 
it affects to show respect, and debasing to the 
mind that entertains it." 

At the present time, the knowledge of what con- 
stitutes true beauty of form is, perhaps, best ac- 
quired by the contemplation of good pictures and 
sculpture. This may not be in the power of every 
body; casts, however, may be frequently obtained 
from the best statues ; and many of the finest works 
of painting are rendered familiar to us by engravings. 
The Art Journal has done much in diffusing a 



36 DRESS, AS A FINE ART 



taste for art, by the engravings it contains from 
statues, and from tlie fine works of English art in 
the "Yernon Gallery." Engravings, however, can 
of course represent a statue in one point of view 
only; but casts are now so cheap as to be within 
the reach of all persons. Small models of the 
"Greek Slave" are not unfrequently offered by the 
Italian image venders for one shilling ; and although 
these are not sharp enough to draw from, the form 
is sufficiently correct to study the general propor- 
tions of the figure; and as this figure is more up- 
right than statues usually are, it may be found 
exceedingly useful for the above purpose. One of 
these casts, or, if possible, a sharper and better cast 
of a female figure, should be found on the toilette of 
every young lady who is desirous of obtaining a 
knowledge of the proportions and beauties of the 
figure. 

We believe it will always be found that the 
beauty of a figure depends not only upon the sym- 
metry of the parts individually, but upon the 
harmony and proportion of each part to the rest. 



DRESS, AS A PINE AKT. 37 



The varieties of the human form have been classed 
under the general heads of the broad, the propor- 
tionate, and the slender. 

The first betokens strength; and what beauty 
soever, of a peculiar kind, it may display in the 
figure of the Hercules, it is not adapted to set off 
the charms of the female sex. If, however, each 
individual part bears a proportionate relation to 
the whole, the figure will not be without its at- 
traction. It is only when the proportions of two 
or three of the classes are united in one individual, 
that the figure becomes ungraceful and remarkable. 
The athletic — if the term may be applied to fe- 
males — form of the country girl would appear 
ridiculous with the small waist, and the white and 
taper fingers, and small feet of the individuals who 
come under the denomination of slender forms. 
The tall and delicate figure would lose its beauty 
if united to the large and broad hands which per- 
tain to the stronger type. A small waist and foot 
are as great a blemish to an individual of the broad 
variety as a large waist and foot are to the slender. 



38 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



"There is a harmony," says Dr. Wampen, "between 
all the parts in each kind of form, but each integral 
is only suited to its own kind of form. True beauty 
consists not only in the harmony of the elements, 
but in their being suitable to the kind of form." 
Were this fundamental truth but thoroughly un- 
derstood, small waists and small feet would be at 
a discount. When they are recognized as small, 
they have ceased to be beautiful, because they are 
disproportionate. Where every part of a figure is 
perfectly proportioned to the rest, no single parts 
appear either large or small. 

The ill effects of the stays in a sanatory point 
of view have been frequently pointed out, and we 
hope are now understood. It will, therefore, be 
unnecessary to enlarge on this head. We have 
asserted that stays are detrimental to beauty of 
form ; we shall now endeavor to show in what 
particulars. 

The natural form of the part of the trunk which 
forms the waist is not absolutely cylindrical, but is 
flattened considerably in front and back, so that the 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 39 



breadth is much greater from side to side than from 
front to back. This was undoubtedly contrived for 
wise purposes; yet fashion, with its usual caprice, 
has interfered with nature, and by promulgating the 
pernicious error that a rounded form of the waist 
is more beautiful than the flattened form adopted 
by nature, has endeavored to effect this change by 
means of the stays, which force the lower ribs 
closer together, and so produce the desired form. 
Nothing can be more ungraceful than the sudden 
diminution in the size of the waist occasioned by 
the compression of the ribs, as compared with the 
gently undulating line of nature ; yet, we are sorry 
to say, nothing is more common. A glance at the 
cuts, Figs. 43, 44, 45, 46, from the work of Som- 
masring, will explain our meaning more clearly than 
words. Fig. 43 represents the natural waist of the 
Venus of antiquity ; Fig. 45, that of a lady of the 
modern period. The diagrams 44 and 46 show the 
structure of the ribs of each. , 

It will be seen that, by the pressure of the stays, 
the arch formed by the lower ribs is entirely closed. 



40 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



and the waist becomes four or five Indies smaller 
than it was intended by nature. Is it any wonder 
that persons so deformed should have bad health, 
or that they should produce unhealthy offspring? 
Is it any wonder that so many young mothers 
should have to lament the loss of their first born? 
We have frequently traced tight lacing in connec- 
tion with this sad event, and we cannot help look- 
ing upon it as cause and efi'ect. 

By way of further illustration, we refer our readers 
to some of the numerous engravings from statues in 
the Art Journal, which, though very beautiful, are 
not distinguished by small waists. We may men- 
tion, as examples, Bailey's " Graces ; " Marshall's 
" Dancing Girl Reposing ; " " The Toilet," by Wick- 
man ; " The Bavaria," by Schwan thaler; and "The 
Psyche," by Theed. 

There is another effect produced by tight lacing, 
which is too ungraceful in its results to be over- 
looked, namely, that a pressure on one part is 
frequently, from the elasticity of the figure, com- 
pensated by an enlargement in another part. It 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 41 



has been frequently urged by inconsiderate persons, 
that, where there is a tendency to corpulency, stays 
are necessary to limit exuberant growth, and con- 
fine the form within the limits of gentility. We 
believe that this is entirely a mistake, and that, 
if the waist be compressed, greater fulness will be 
perceptible both above and below, just as, when 
one ties a string tight round the middle of a pil- 
low, it is rendered fuller at each end. With ref- 
erence to the waist, as to every thing else, the juste 
milieic is literally the thing to be desired. 

It has been already observed, that a small waist 
is beautiful only when it is accompanied by a slen- 
der and small figure ; but, as the part of the trunk, 
immediately beneath the arms, is filled with pow- 
erful muscles, these, when developed by exercise, 
impart a breadth to this part of the figure which, 
by comparison, causes the waist to appear small. 
A familiar example of this, in the male figure, pre- 
sents itself in the Hercules, the waist of which 
appears disproportionately small; yet it is really 
of the normal size, its apparent smallness being 

6 



42 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



occasioned by tlie prodigious development of the 
muscles of the upper part of the body. 

The true way of diminishing the apparent size 
of the waist, is, as we have remarked above, by 
increasing the power of the muscles of the upper 
part of the frame. This can only be done by ex- 
ercise ; and as the habits of society, as now con- 
stituted, preclude the employment of young ladies 
in household duties, they are obliged to find a sub- 
stitute for this healthy exertion in calisthenics. 
There was a time when even the queens of Spain 
did not disdain to employ their royal hands in 
making sausages; and to such perfection was this 
culinary accomplishment carried at one period, that 
it is upon record that the Emperoi* Charles Y., after 
his retirement from the cares and dignities of the 
empire, longed for sausages " of the kind which 
Queen Juaha, now in glory, used to pride herself 
in making in the Flemish fashion." (See Mr. Stir- 
ling's "Cloister Life of Charles V.") This is really 
like going back to the old times, when — 

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts." 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 43 



In England, some fifty years ago, the young 
ladies of the ancient city of Norwich were not 
considered to have completed their education, until 
they had spent some months under the tuition 
of the first confectioner in the city, in learn- 
ing to make cakes and pastry — an art which 
they afterwards continued when they possessed 
houses of their own. This wholesome discipline 
of beating eggs and whipping creams, kneading 
biscuits and gingerbread, was calculated to pre- 
serve their health, and afford sufficient exercise to 
the muscles of the arms and shoulders, without hav- 
ing recourse to artificial modes of exertion. 

It does not appear that the ancients set the 
same value upon a small waist as the moderns; 
for, in their draped female figures, the whole circuit 
of the waist is seldom visible, some folds of the 
drapery being suffered to fall over a part, thus 
leaving its exact extent to the imagination. The 
same remark is applicable to the great Ital- 
ian painters, who seldom marked the whole 
contour of the waist, unless when painting por- 



44 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



traits, in which case the costume was of course 
observed. 

It was not so, however, with the shoulders, the 
true width of which was always seen ; and how 
voluminous soever the folds of the drapery around 
the body, it was never arranged so as to add to 
the width of the shoulders. Narrow shoulders and 
broad hips are esteemed beauties in the female 
figure, while in the male figure the broad shoul- 
ders and narrow hips are most admired. 

The costume of the modern Greeks is frequently 
very graceful, (Fig. 47, peasant from the environs of 
Athens,) and it adapts itself well to the figure, the 
movements of which it does not restrain. The pre- 
vailing characteristics of the costume are a long 
robe, reaching to the ground, with full sleeves, very 
wide at the bands. This dress is frequently em- 
broidered with a graceful pattern round the skirt 
and sleeves. Over it is worn a pelisse, which 
reaches only to the knees, and is open in front; 
either without any sleeves, or with tight ones, fin- 
ishing at the elbows; beneath which are seen the 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 45 



full sleeves of the long robe. The drapery over the 
bust is full, and is sometimes confined at the waist 
by a belt ; at others it is suffered to hang loosely 
until it meets the broad, sash-like girdle which 
encircles the hips, and which hangs so loosely that 
the hands are rested in its folds as in a pocket. 

The drapery generally terminates at the throat, 
under a necklace of coins or jewels. The most 
usual form of head-dress is a veil so voluminous 
as to cover the head and shoulders; one end of 
the veil is frequently thrown over the shoulder, or 
gathered into a knot behind. The shoes, apparently 
worn only for walking, consist generally of a very 
thick sole, with a cap over the toes. 

One glance at the graceful figures in the plates 
is sufficient to show how unnecessary stays are to 
the beauty of the figure. Fig. 48, Shepherdess of 
Arcadia. 

The modern Greek costumes which we have se- 
lected for our illustrations, from the beautiful work 
of M. de Stackelberg, (" Costumes et Peuples de la 
Grece Moderne," published at Rome, 1825,) suggest 



46 DRESS, AS A FINE AET. 



several points for consideration, and some for our 
imitation. The dress is long and flowing, and liigli 
in the neck. It does not add to the width of the 
shoulders; it conceals the exact size of the waist 
by the loose pelisse, which is open in front; it 
falls in a graceful and flowing line from the arm- 
pits, narrowing a little at the waist, and spreading 
gently over the hips, when the skirt falls by its 
own weight into large folds, instead of curving sud- 
denly from an unnaturally small waist over a hid- 
eous bustle, and increasing in size downward to 
the hem of the dress, like a bell, as in the present 
English costume. 

Figs. 42 and 49 are selected from the "Illustrated 
London News." (Volume for 1851, July to Decem- 
ber, pp. 20 and 117.) The one represents out-door 
costume, the other in-door. Many such are scat- 
tered through the pages of our amusing and val- 
uable contemporary. For the out-door costume we 
beg to refer our readers to the large woodcut in 
the same volume, (pp. 424, 425.) If a traveller 
from a distant country, unacquainted with the 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 47 



English and French fashions, were to contemplate 
this cut, he would be puzzled to account for the 
remarkable shape of the ladies, who all, more or 
less, resemble the figure we have selected for our 
illustration ; and, if he is any thing of a natural- 
ist, he will set them down in his own mind as 
belonging to a new species of the genus homo. 
Looking at this and other prints of the day, we 
should think that the artists intended to convey 
a satire on the ladies' dress, if we did not fre- 
quently meet with such figures in real life. 

The lady in the evening dress (Fig 49) is from 
a large woodcut in the same journal representing 
a ball. This costume, with much pretension to 
elegance, exhibits most of the faults of the modern 
style of dress. It combines the indecently low 
dress, with the pinched waist, and the hoop petti- 
coat. In the figure of the woman of Mitylene, 
(Fig. 50,) the true form and width of the shoulders 
are apparent, and the form of the l)ust is indi- 
cated, but not exposed, through the loosely fitting 
drapery which covers it. In the figure of the 



48 DRESS, AS A FINE ART, 



Athenian peasant, (Fig. 47,) the loose drapery 
over the bust is confined at the waist by a broad 
band, while the hips are encircled by the sash-like 
girdle in which the figure rests her hands. The 
skirt of the pelisse appears double, and the short 
sleeve, embroidered at the edge, shows the full 
sleeve of the under drapery, also richly embroi- 
dered. In the second figure from the environs of 
Athens, (Fig. 51,) we observe that the skirt of the 
pelisse, instead of being set on in gathers or plaits, 
as our dresses are, is "gored," or sloped away at 
the top, where it unites almost imperceptibly with 
the body, giving rise to undulating lines, instead 
of sudden transitions and curves. In the cut of 
the Arcadian peasant, (Fig. 48,) the pelisse is short- 
ened almost to a spencer, or cote kardie, and it wants 
the graceful flow of the longer skirt, for which the 
closely fitting embroidered apron is no compensa- 
tion. This figure is useful in showing that tight 
bodies may be fitted to the figure without stays. 
The heavy rolled girdle on the hips is no improve- 
ment. The dress of the Algerine woman, (Fig. 53,) 



DRESS, AS A FINE AET. 49 



copied from the " Illustrated London News," bears 
a strong resemblance to the Greek costume, and 
is very graceful. It is not deformed either by the 
pinched waist or the stays. In the tenth century, 
the French costume (Fig. 52) somewhat resembled 
that of the modern Greeks; the former, however, 
had not the short pelisse, but, in its place, the 
ladies wore a long veil, which covered the head, 
and reached nearly to the feet. 

The Greek and Oriental costume has always been 
a favorite with painters: the " Yernon Gallery" fur- 
nishes us with two illustrations ; and the excellent 
engravings of these subjects in the Art Journal enable 
us to compare the costumes of the two figures while 
at a distance from the originals. The graceful fig- 
ure of ''The Greek Girl," (engraved in the Art Jour- 
nal for 1850,) painted by Sir Charles Eastlake, is not 
compressed by stays, but is easy and natural. The 
white under-drapery is confined at the waist, which 
is short, by a broad girdle, which appears to en- 
circle it more than once, and adds to the apparent 
length of the waist; the open jacket, without a 

7 



50 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



collar, falls gracefully from the shoulders, and con- 
ceals the limits of the waist ; every thing is easy, 
natural, and graceful. M. De Stackelberg's beauti- 
ful figure of the "Archon's Wife" (Fig. 54) shows 
the district whence Sir C. Eastlake drew his model. 
There is the same flowing hair, — from which hang 
carnations, as in the picture in the " Yernon Gal- 
lery," — the same cap, the same necklace. But in 
the baron's figure, we find the Avaist encircled with 
a broad band, six or seven inches in width, Avhile 
the lady rests her hand on the sash-like girdle, 
which falls round the hips. 

Turn we now to Pickersgill's "Syrian Maid," (en- 
graved in the Art Journal for 1850:) here, we see, the 
artist has taken a painter's license, and represented 
the fair Oriental in stays, which, we believe, are 
happily unknown in the East. How stiff and con- 
strained does this figure appear, after looking at 
Sir C. Eastlake' s beautiful "Greek Girl;" how un- 
natural the form of the chest! The limits of the 
waist are not visible, it is true, in the " Syrian 
Maid," but the shadow is so arranged, that the 



DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 51 



rounded form, to which we have before alluded, and 
which fashion deems necessary, is plainly percep- 
tible ; and an impression is made that the waist is 
small and pinched. 

We could mention some cases in which the girdle 
is omitted altogether, without any detriment to the 
gracefulness of the figure. Such dresses, however, 
though illustrative of the principle, are not adapted 
to the costume of real life. In sculpture, however, 
they frequently occur. We may mention Gibson's 
statue of her majesty, the female figure in M'DougalFs 
"Triumph of Love," and "Penelope," by Wyatt, 
which are engraved in the Art Journal, (the first 
in the year 1846, the others in 1849.) But the 
drapery of statues can, however, scarcely be taken 
as a precedent for that of the living subject, and 
although we mention that the girdle is sometimes 
dispensed with, we are far from advocating this in 
practice; nay, we consider the sash or girdle is 
indispensable ; all that we stipulate for is, that it 
should not be so tight as to compress the figure, 
or impede circulation. 



52 DRESS, AS A FINE ART. 



In concluding our remarks on this subject, we 
would observe, that the best means of improving 
the figure are to secure freedom of motion by the 
use of light and roomy clothing, and to strength- 
en the muscles by exercise. We may also observe, 
that singing is not only beneficial to the lungs, 
but that it strengthens the muscles, and increases 
the size of the chest, and, consequently, makes the 
waist appear smaller. Singing, and other suitable 
exercises in which both arms are used equally, will 
improve the figure more than all the backboards in 
the world. 



THEHEAD. 53 




CHAPTER III. 

THE HEAD. 

^ffr HERE is no part of the body which 
^ has been more exposed to the vicis- 

situdes of fashion than the head, 
both as regards its natural covering 
of hair, and the artificial covering 
of caps and bonnets. At one time, we read of 
sprinkling the hair with gold dust ; at another 
time, the bright brown hair, of the color of the 
horse-chestnut, so common in Italian pictures, was 
the fashion. This color, as well as that beautiful 
light golden tint sometimes seen in Italian pic- 
tures of the same period, was frequently the result 
of art, and receipts for producing both tints are 
still to be found in old books of ''secretin Both 
these were in their turn discarded, and after a 
time the real color of the hair was lost in pow- 



54 THEHEAD. 



der and pomatum. The improving taste of the 
present generation is, perhaps, nowhere more con- 
spicuous than in permitting us to preserve the 
natural color of the hair, and to wear our own, 
whether it be black, brown, or gray. There is also 
a marked improvement in the more natural way 
in which the hair has been arranged during the 
last thirty years. We allude, particularly, to its 
being suffered to retain the direction" intended by 
nature, instead of being combed upright, and turned 
over a cushion a foot or two in height. 

These head-dresses, emphatically called, from their 
French origin, tetes, were built or plastered up only 
once a month : it is easy to imagine what a state 
they must have been in during the latter part of 
the time. Madame D'Oberkirch gives, in her Me- 
moirs, an amusing description of a novel head-dress 
of this kind. We transcribe it for the amusement 
of our readers. 

"This blessed 6th of June she awakened me at 
the earliest dawn. I was to get my hair dressed, 
and make a grand toilette, in order to go to Ver- 



THEHEAD. 55 



sailles, whither the queen had invited the Countess 
du Nord, for whose amusement a comedy was to 
be performed. These Court toilettes are never-end- 
ing, and this road from Paris to Versailles very fa- 
tiguing, especially where one is in continual fear 
of rumpling her petticoats and flounces. I tried 
that day, for the first time, a new fashion — one, 
too, which was not a little gmante. I wore in my 
hair little flat bottles, shaped to the curvature of 
the head ; into these a little water was poured, 
for the purpose of preserving the freshness of the 
natural flowers worn in the hair, and of which the 
stems were immersed in the liquid. This did not 
always succeed, but when it did, the efl'ect was 
charming. Nothing could be more lovely than the floral 
wreath crowning the snowy pyramid of powdered hair! " 
Few of our readers, we reckon, are inclined to par- 
ticipate in the admiration of the baroness, so fan- 
cifully expressed, for this singular head-dress. 

We do not presume to enter into the question 
whether short curls are more becoming than long 
ones, or whether bands are preferable to curls of 



56 THEHEAD. 



any kind ; because, as the hair of some persons curls 
naturally, while that of others is quite straight, we 
consider that this is one of the points which must 
be decided accordingly as one style or the other 
is found to be most suitable to the individual. 
The principle in the arrangement of the hair round 
the forehead should be to preserve or assist the oval 
form of the face : as this differs in different individ- 
uals, the treatment should be adapted accordingly. 
The arrangement of the long hair at the back of 
the head is a matter of taste ; as it interferes but 
little with the countenance, it may be referred to 
the dictates of fashion ; although in this, as in 
every thing else, simplicity in the arrangement, 
and grace in the direction of the lines, are the 
chief points to be considered. One of the most 
elegant head-dresses we remember to have seen, 
is that worn by the peasants of the Milanese and 
Ticinese. They have almost uniformly glossy, black 
hair, which is carried round the back of the head 
in a wide braid, in which are placed, at regular 
intervals, long silver pins, with large heads, which 



THEHEAD. 57 



produce the effect of a coronet, and contrast well 
with the dark color of the hair. 

The examples afforded by modern sculpture are 
not very instructive, inasmuch as the features 
selected by the sculptors are almost exclusively 
Greek, whereas the variety in nature is infinite. 
With the Greek features has also been adopted 
the antique style of arranging the hair, which is 
beautifully simple; that is to say, it is parted in 
the front, and falling down towards each temple, 
while the long ends rolled lightly back from the 
face so as to shoAv the line which separates the 
hair from the forehead, or rather where it seems, 
as it were, to blend with the flesh tints — an ar- 
rangement which assists in preserving the oval 
contour of the face, are passed over the top of 
the ear, and looped into the fillet which binds the 
head. The very becoming arrangement of the hair 
in the engraving, from a portrait by Parmegianino, 
(Fig. 55,) is an adaptation of the antique style, 
and is remarkable for its simplicity and grace. 
Xot less graceful, although more ornamental, is the 



58 THEHEAD. 



arrangement of the hair in the beautiful figure 
called "Titian's Daughter." Fig. 56. In both these 
instances, we observe the line — if line it may be 
called — where the color of the hair blends so har- 
moniously with the delicate tints of the forehead. 
The same arrangement of the hair round the face 
may be traced in the pictures by Murillo, and other 
great masters. 

Sir Joshua Reynolds has frequently evinced con- 
summate skill in the arrangement of the hair, so 
as to show the line which divides it from the fore- 
head. For some interesting remarks on this sub- 
ject, we refer our readers to an " Essay on Dress," 
republished by Mr. Murray from the " Quarterly Re- 
view." Nothing can be more graceful than Sir 
Joshua's mode of disposing of tlie hair when he 
was able to follow the dictates of his own good 
taste; and he deserves great credit for the skill 
with which he frequently treated the enormous 
head-dresses which in his time disfigured the heads 
of our countrywomen. The charming figure of Lady 
Harrington (Fig. 57) would have been perfect without 



THEHEAD. 59 



the superstructure on her beautiful head. How 
stiff is the head-dress of the next figure, (Fig. 58,) 
also, after Sir Joshua, when compared with the 
preceding. 

The graceful Spanish mantilla, to which we can 
only allude, is too elegant to be overlooked: the 
modification of it, which of late years has been 
introduced into this country, is to be considered 
rather as an ornament than as a head-covering. It 
has been recently superseded by the long bows of 
ribbon worn at the back of the head — a costume 
borrowed from the Roman peasants. Fig. 59. The 
fashion for young people to cover the hair with a 
silken net, which, some centuries ago, was prevalent 
both in England and in France, has been again 
revived. Some of the more recent of these nets 
are very elegant in form. 

The hats and bonnets have, during the last few 
years, been so moderate in size, and generally so 
graceful in form, that we will not criticize them 
more particularly. It will be sufficient to observe 
that, let the brim be what shape it will, the crown 



60 THEHEAD. 



should be nearly of the form and size of the head. 
If this principle were always kept in view, as it 
should be, we should never again see the monster 
hats and bonnets which, some years ago, and even 
in the memory of persons now living, caricatured 
the lovely forms of our countrywomen. 



THE DRESS. 



61 




CHAPTER lY. 

THE DEESS. 

« 

E shall consider the dress, by which 
we mean, simply, the upper garment 
worn within doors, as consisting of 
three parts — the sleeve, the body, 
and the skirt. 
The sleeve has changed its form as frequently as 
any part of our habiliments : sometimes it reached 
to the wrist, sometimes to a short distance below 
the shoulder. Sometimes it was tight to the arm ; 
sometimes it fell in voluminous folds to the hands ; 
now it was widest at the top, then widest at the 
bottom. To large sleeves themselves there is no 
objection, in a pictorial point of view, provided 
that their point of junction with the shoulder is 
so conspicuous that they do not add to the ap- 
parent width of the body in this part. The lines 



62 THE DRESS. 



of the sleeves should be flowing ; and they are much 
more graceful when they are widest in the lower 
part, especially when so open as to display to ad- 
vantage the beautiful form of the wrist and fore- 
arm. In this way, they partake of the pyramid, 
while the inelegant gigot sleeve, which for so long 
a period enjoyed the favor of the ladies, presents 
the form of a cone reverted, and is obviously out 
of place in the human figure. When the large 
sleeve, supported by canes or whalebones, forms a 
continuous line with the shoulder, it gives an un- 
natural width to this part of the figure — an effect 
that is increased by the large collar which conceals 
the point where the sleeve meets the dress. Ex- 
amples of the large, open sleeve, in its extreme 
character, may be studied with most advantage 
in the portraits of Vandyck. Fig. 60, Lady Lucy 
Percy, after Vandyck. The effect of these sleeves 
is frequently improved by their being lined with 
a different color, and sometimes by contrasting 
the rich silk of the outer sleeve with the thin 
gauze or lace which forms the immediate cov- 



T H E D R E S S . .63 



ering of the arm. The figures in the plates will 
show the comparative gracefulness of two kinds 
of large sleeves, namely, that which is widest at the 
top, and that which is widest below. If the outline 
of the central figure of our more modern group, 
(Fig. 61,) — consisting of three figures, which is 
copied from a French work, — were filled up with 
black, a person ignorant of the fashion might, from 
the great width of the shoulders, have mistaken it 
for the Farnese Hercules in petticoats. 

The large sleeves, tight in the upper part, and 
enlarging gradually to the wrist, which are worn by 
the modern Greeks, are extremely graceful. When 
these are confined below the elbow, Avhich is some- 
times done for convenience, they resemble somewhat 
the elbow sleeves with wide rufiies which were so 
common in the time of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Sleeves 
like those now worn in Greece were fashionable in 
France in the tenth century, and again about the 
beginning of the sixteenth century. They were also 
worn by Jeanne d'Albret, the mother of Henry lY., 
and are seen in Fig. 41. 



64 THE DRESS. 



A very elegant sleeve, fitting nearly close at the 
shoulder, and becoming very full and long till it 
falls in graceful folds almost to the feet, prevailed 
in England during the time of Henry V. and YI. 
Fig. 62, copied from a manuscript of the time of 
Henry Y., now preserved in the British Museum. 
On the authority of Professor Heideloff, it is said 
to have existed also in Flanders in the thirteenth 
and fourteenth centuries, and in France in the 
fifteenth century. In the examples of continental 
costume, the tont ensemble is graceful, and especially 
the head-dress ; Avhile in England the elegant 
sleeve is accompanied with very short waists, 
and with the hideous, horned head-dresses then 
fashionable. The effect of these sleeves much re- 
sembles that of the mantles of the present day, 
and from its wide fiow is only adapted for full 
dress, or out-of-door costume. The sleeves worn 
under these full ones were generally tight. At a 
much later period, the large sleeves were made of 
more moderate dimensions, both in length and 
width, and a full sleeve of fine lawn or muslin, 



THE DRESS 



65 



fastened at the wrist with a band, and edged with 
a lace ruffle, was worn beneath. This kind of 
sleeve has recently been again introduced into 
England, but has given place to another form, in 
which the under sleeve of lace or muslin, being 
of the same size as the upper, suffers the lower 
part of the arm to be visible. The effect of this 
sleeve, which is certainly becoming to a finely- 
formed arm, is analogous to that of the elbow 
sleeve, which, with its deep ruffles of point lace, 
is frequent on the portraits of Sir Joshua Keynolds. 

The slashed sleeve, criticized by Shakspeare in 
the "Taming of the Shrew," was sometimes very 
elegant. The form in which it appears in Fig. 63, 
worn in the fifteenth century, is particularly grace- 
ful. Not so, however, the lower part of the sleeve. 

In the preceding remarks, we have considered 
the sleeve merely in a picturesque point of view, 
without reference to its convenience or incon- 
venience. 

The length of the waist has always been a mat- 
ter of caprice. Sometimes the girdle was placed 

9 



66 THE DRESS. 



nearly under the arms ; sometimes it passed to the 
opposite extreme, and was suffered to fall upon the 
hips. Sometimes it was drawn tightly round the 
middle, when it seemed to cut the body almost in 
two, like an hourglass. Judging from what we see, 
we should say that this is a feat which many ladies 
of the present time are endeavoring to achieve. 
The first and third cases are almost equally ob- 
jectionable, because they distort the figure. The 
hip girdle, which is common in Greece (as shown 
in Figs. 48 and 53) and Oriental countries, pre- 
vailed also in England and France some centuries 
ago. The miniatures of old manuscripts furnish 
us with examples of long-waisted dresses fitting 
closely to the person, sometimes stiffened like the 
modern stays, at others yielding to the figure. 
The waist of this kind of dress reached to the 
hips, where it was joined to the full petticoat, 
w^hich was gathered round the top — an extremely 
ungraceful fashion. The hip girdle, properly used, 
is, however, by no means inelegant. It is not at 
all necessary that it should coincide with the waist 



THEDRESS. 67 



of the dress ; it slioiild be merely looped or clasped 
loosely round tlie figure, and suffered to fall to its 
place by its own weiglit. But to enable it to do 
so in a graceful manner, it is essential that the 
skirt of the dress should be so united with the 
body as to produce no harsh lines of separation, 
or sudden changes of curvature; as, for example, 
when the skirt is set on in full plaits, or gathers, 
and spread over a hoop. We have before noticed, 
that this point was attended to by Eubens, (Fig. 
66,) by Yandyck, (Fig. 65,) by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
and by the modern Greeks. We refer also to the 
elegant figure 64:. The most natural situation for 
the girdle, or point of junction of the body with 
the skirt, is somcAvhere between the end of the 
breast bone and the last rib, as seen in front — 
a space of about three or four inches. Fashion 
may dictate the exact spot, but within this space 
it cannot be positively wrong. The effect is good 
when the whole space is filled with a wide sash 
folded round the waist, as in Sir C. Eastlake's 
''Greek Girl," or some of the graceful portraits by 



68 THEDRESS. 



Sir Joshua Reynolds. How much more elegant is 
a sash of this description than the stiff line which 
characterizes the upper part of the dress of " Sancta 
Victoria." (Fig. 64.) The whalebone, or busk, is 
absolutely necessary to keep the dress in its proj^er 
place. The resemblance in form between the body 
of the dress of this figure and those now or recently 
in fashion cannot fail to arrest the attention of the 
reader. Stiff, though, as it undoubtedly is, the whole 
dress is superior to the modern in the general flow 
of the lines uniting the body and skirt. Long 
skirts are more graceful than short ones, and a 
train of moderate length adds to the elegance of 
a dress, but not to its convenience. Long dresses, 
also, add to the apparent height of a figure, and 
for this reason they are well adapted to short per- 
sons. For the same reason, waists of moderate 
length are more generally becoming than those that 
are very long, because the latter, by shortening the 
skirt of the dress, diminish the apparent height. 
Besides the variation in length, the skirts of 
dresses have passed through every gradation of 



THE DRESS. 69 



fulness. At one time, it was the fashion to slope 
gradually from the waist, without gathers or plaits ; 
then a little fulness was admitted at the back; 
then a little at the front, also. The next step 
was to carry the fulness all round the waist. In 
the graceful costume of the time of Yandyck, and 
even in the more stiff and formal dress delineated 
in the pictures of Rubens, the skirt was united to 
the body by large, flat plaits, when the fulness 
expanded gradually and gracefully, and the rich 
material of the dress spread in well-arranged folds 
to the feet. The lines were gently undulating and 
graceful, and that unnatural and clumsy contrivance 
called a "bustle" — a near relation of the hoop 
and fardingale — was at that time happily un- 
known. This principle of uniting the skirt grad- 
ually with the body of the dress is carried out to 
the fullest extent b^^ the modern Greeks. In the 
figure of the peasant from the neighborhood of 
Athens, (Fig. 47,) the pelisse is made without gath- 
ers or plaits : the skirt, which hangs full round the 
knees, is "gored" or sloped away till it fits the 



70 THEDKESS. 



body at the waist. The long underskirt is, as we 
find from the figure of the woman of Makrinitza, 
(Fig. 67,) gathered several times, so as to lie flat 
to the figure, instead of being spread over the 
inelegant "bustle." It is only necessary to com- 
pare these graceful figures, in which due regard 
has been paid to the undulating lines of the fig- 
ure, with a fashionable lady of the present day, 
whose "polka jacket," or whatever may be the 
name of this article of dress, is cut with vio- 
lent and deep curves, to enable it to spread 
itself over the bustle and prominent folds of the 
dress. 

Not satisfied with the bustle in the upper part 
of the skirt, some ladies of the ju'esent day have 
returned to the old practice of wearing hoojos, to 
make the dresses stand out at the base. These 
are easily recognized in the street by the " swag- 
ging " — no other term will exactly convey the 
idea — from side to side of the hoops, an efiect 
which is distinctly visible as the wearer walks 
along. It is difficult to imagine what there is so 



THE DRESS. 71 



attractive in the fardingale and hoop, that they 
should have prevailed, in some form or other, for 
so many years, and that they should have main- 
tained their ground in spite of the cutting, though 
playful, raillery of the '' Spectator," and the jeers 
and caricatures of less refined censors of the ec- 
centricities of dress. They were not recommended 
either by beauty of line or convenience, but by the 
tyrant Fashion, and we owe some gratitude to 
George lY., who banished the last relics of this 
singular fashion from the court dress, of which, 
until his time, it continued to form a part. Who 
could imagine that there would be an attempt to 
revive the hooi3 petticoat in the nineteenth cen- 
tury ? We invite our readers to contrast the lines 
of the drapery in the figures after Vandyck, 
(Figs. 60 and 61,) and those in the modern Greek 
costume, (Figs. 51 and 54,) with that of a lady 
in a hoop, after a satirical painter, Hogarth, (Fig. 
68,) and two figures from a design by Jules David, 
in " Le Moniteur de la Mode," a modern fash- 
ionable authority in dress. (Figs. 69 and 70.) 



72 THEDRESS. 



There can be no doubt wliicli is the most grace- 
ful. The width of the shoulders and the tight 
waist of the latter, will not escape the notice of 
our readers. 



THE FEET. 



73 



CHAPTER y. 



THE FEET. 




HE same bad taste which insists 
upon a small waist, let the height 
and proportions of the figure be what 
they will, decrees that a small foot 
is essential to beauty. 
Size is considered of more importance than form ; 
and justly so if it is a sine qua no7i that the foot 
must be small, because the efforts that are made to 
diminish its size generally render it deformed. We 
have before mentioned that to endeavor to diminish 
the size of the human body in a particular part, 
is like tying a string round the middle of a pillow ; 
it only makes it larger at the extremities. It is 
so with the waist, it is so with the foot. If it be 
crippled in length, or in width across the toes, it 
spreads over the instep and sides. The Italians 

10 



74 



THE FEET. 



and other nations of the south of Europe have 
smaller hands and feet than the Anglo-Saxons ; and 
as this fact is generally known, it is astonishing 
that peoj)le of sense should persist in crippling 
themselves merely for the reputation of having small 
feet. Here again we have to complain of poets and 
romance writers ; ladies would not have pinched 
their feet into small shoes, if these worthies had 
not sung the praises of "tiny feet." 

"Her feet, beneath her petticoat, 
Like little mice, stole in and out, 
As if they feared the light." 

Nor are painters — portrait painters, we mean, 
and living ones too — it is needless however, to men- 
tion names — entirely free from blame for thus 
ministering to vanity and false taste. They have 
sacrificed truth to fashion in painting the feet 
smaller than they could possibly be in nature. 

But it is not only with the endeavor to cripple their 
dimensions that we are inclined to quarrel. We 
object in toto to the shape of the shoe, which bears 
but little resemblance to that of the foot. We have 



THEFEET. 75 



heard persons say that they could never see any 
beauty in a foot. No wonder, when they saw none 
but those that were deformed by corns and bunions. 
How unlike is such a foot to the beautiful little — 
for little it really is in this case — fat foot of a child, 
before its beauty has been spoiled by shoes, or even 
to those of the barefooted children one sees so fre- 
quently in the street. Were it not for these oppor- 
tunities of seeing nature we, in this country, should 
have but little idea of the true shape of the human 
foot, except what we learn from statues. According 
to a recent traveller, we must go to Egypt to see 
beautiful feet. It is impossible, he says, to see any 
thing more exquisite than the feet and hands of 
the female peasants. The same beauty is conspicu- 
ous in the Hindoo women. 

Let us compare now the shape of the foot with 
that of the sole of a shoe. When the foot is placed 
.on the ground, the toes spread out, the great toe is 
in a straight line with the inner side of the foot, 
and there is an opening between this and the 
second toe. The ancients availed themselves of 



76 THE FEET. 



this opening to pass through it one of the straps 
that suspended the sandal. 

The moderns on the contrary press the toes closely 
together, in order to confine them within the limits 
of the shoe ; the consequence is, that the end of the 
great toe is pressed towards the others, and out of 
the straight line, the joint becomes enlarged, and 
thus the foundation is laid for a bunion ; while the 
toes, forced one upon another, become distorted 
and covered with corns. 

One of the consequences of this imprisonment 
of our toes is, that, from being squeezed so closely 
together, they become useless. Let any one try the 
experiment of walking barefooted across the room, 
and while so doing look at the foot. The toes, when 
unfettered by the shoes, spread out and divide from 
one another, and the body rests on a wider and 
firmer base. We begin to find we have some move- 
ment in our toes ; yet, how feeble is their muscular 
power, compared with that of persons who are unac- 
customed to the use of shoes ! 

The Hindoo uses his toes in weaving; the Aus- 



THE FEET. 77 



tralian savage is as handy (if the term can be 
applied to feet) with this member, as another man 
is with his hands ; it is the unsuspected instrument 
with which he executes his thefts. The country 
boy, who runs over the roof of a house like a cat, 
takes off his shoes before he attempts the hazardous 
experiment ; he has a surer hold with his foot on 
the smooth slates and sloping roof. The exercise of 
the muscles of the foot has the effect of increasing 
the power of those of the calf of the leg ; and the 
thinner the sole, and the more pliant the materials 
of which the shoe is made, the more the power 
is developed. 

Dancing masters, who habitually wear thin shoes, 
have the muscles of the leg well developed, while 
ploughmen, who wear shoes with soles an inch 
thick, have very little calf to their leg. The French 
sabot is, we consider, better than the closely fitting 
shoe of our country people ; because it is so large, 
that it requires some muscular exertion to keep it 
in its place. We have frequently seen French boys 
running in sabots, the foot rising at every step 



78 THE FEET. 

almost out of the unyielding wooden shoe. Wooden 
clogs and pattens are as bad as the thick shoes of 
the country people. When clogs are necessary, the 
sole should be made of materials Avhich will yield 
to the motion of the foot. The American Indian's 
moccasins are a much better covering for the foot 
than our shoes. 

If thick soles are objectionable by impeding the 
free movement of the limb, what shall we say to the 
high heel which was once so popular, and which 
threatens again to come into fashion ? It is to be 
hoped, however, when the effects of wearing high 
heels are duly considered, that this pernicious cus- 
tom will not make progress. It is well for their 
poor unfortunate votaries, that the introduction of 
certain fashions is gradual; that both mind and 
body — perhaps we should be more correct in saying 
the person of the wearer and the eye of the specta- 
tor — are, step by step, prepared for the extreme point 
which certain fashions attain ; they have their rise, 
their culminating point, and their decline. The 
attempt to exchange the short waists, worn some 



THEFEET. 79 



thirty or forty years ago, for the very long waists 
seen during the past year, would have been unsuc- 
cessful ; the transition would have been too great — 
too violent ; the change was eifected, but it was the 
work of many years. The same thing took place 
with regard to the high head-dresses which were 
so deservedly ridiculed by Addison, and in an equal- 
ly marked degree with respect to high heels. The 
shoes in the cut, after Gainsborough, (Fig. 71,) are 
fair specimens of what were in fashion in his time. 
Let the reader compare the line of the sole with 
that of the human foot placed, as nature intended it, 
flat on the ground. The heel was in some cases 
four and a half inches high; the line, therefore, 
must have been in this case, a highly inclined plane, 
undulating in its surface, like the " line of beauty" 
of Hogarth. The position of the foot is that of a 
dancer resting on the toes, excepting that the heel 
is supported, and the strain over the instep and 
contraction of the muscles of the back of the leg 
and heel must be considerable ; so much so we are 
told, that the contraction of the latter becomes 



80 THEFEET, 



habitual; consequently, those persons who have ac- 
' customed themselves to the use of high heels, are 
never afterwards able to do without them. It is said 
that "pride never feels pain ; " we should think the 
proverb was made for those who wear high heels, 
for we are told, although we cannot speak from per- 
sonal experience, that the pain on first wearing 
shoes of this kind, in which the whole weight of the 
body seems to thrust the toes forward into the shoe, 
is excruciating ; nothing but fashion could reconcile 
one to such voluntary suffering. The peas in the 
shoes of the pilgrims could scarcely be more painful. 

It was with some surprise that we found among 
M. Stackelberg's graceful costumes of modern Greece 
a pair of high-heeled shoes, (Fig. 72,) which might 
rival in ugliness and inconvenience any of those 
worn in England. 

We have known an instance where the lady's heels 
were never less than an inch and a half high. We 
were sorry to observe some of these high-heeled shoes 
in the great exhibition, and still more so, to see 
that shoes with heels an inch high are likely to be 



'-^iWrn^ 




THE FEET 



81 



fashionable this season. Could we look foiAvard to 
this height as the limit of the fashion, we might rec- 
oncile ourselves to it for a time; but, judging from 
past experience, there is reason to fear that the heel 
will become continually higher, until it attains the 
elevation of former years. Not content with im- 
prisoning our feet in tight shoes, and thereby dis- 
torting their form and weakening their muscular 
power, we are guilty of another violence towards 
nature. Nature has made our toes to turn inwards; 
when man is left to himself the toes naturally take 
this direction, though in a much less degree than in 
the infant. The American Indian will trace a Euro- 
pean by his footprints, which he detects by the turn- 
ing out of the toes ; a lesson we are taught in our 
childhood, and especially by our dancing master. 
Sir Joshua Reynolds used to say, "The gestures of 
children, being all dictated by nature, are graceful ; 
affectation and distortion come in with the dancing 
master." Now, observe the consequence of turning 
out the toes. The inner ankle is bent downwards 
towards the ground, and the knees are drawn in- 



82 THEFEET. 



wards, producing the deformity called knock-kneed ; 
thus the whole limb is distorted, and consequently 
weakened ; there is always a want of muscular 
power in the legs of those who turn their toes very 
much outwards. It must be remarked, however, 
that women, from the greater breadth of the frame 
at the hips, naturally turn the toes out more than 
men. In this point also, statues may be studied 
with advantage. "V^Tiere form only is considered, it 
is generally safer to refer to examples of sculpture 
than painting; because in the latter, the artist is 
apt to lose sight of this primary object in his atten- 
tion to color and form ; besides, it is the sculptor 
only, who makes an exact image of a figure which 
is equally perfect, seen from all points of view. 
The painter makes only a pictorial or perspective 
representation of nature, as seen from one point of 
view only. 

What pains we take to distort and disfigure the 
beautiful form that nature has bestowed upon the 
human race ! Now building a tower on the head, 
then raising the heel at the expense of the toe ; at 



THEFEET. 83 



one time confining the body in a case of whalebone, 
and compressing it at the waist like an hour glass ; 
at another, surrounding it with the enormous and 
ungraceful hoop, till the outline of the figure is so 
altered, that a person can scarcely recognize her own 
shadow as that of a human being. 



84 REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 




CHAPTEE VI. 

EEMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 

E must now offer a few brief remarks 
upon certain costumes which appear 
to us most worthy of our attention and 
study, for their general elegance and 
adaptation to the figure. 
Of the modern Greek we have already spoken. 
The style of dress which has been immortalized by 
the pencil of Vandyck is considered among the most 
elegant that has ever prevailed in this country. It 
is not, however, faultless. The row of small curls 
around the face, however becoming to some persons, 
is somewhat formal; and although the general ar- 
rangement of the hair, which preserves the natural 
size and shape of the head, is more graceful than 
that of the time of Sir Joshua Reynolds, we think it 
would have been more pleasing had it left visible 



REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 85 



the line which divides the hair from the forehead. 
With regard to the dress itself, it is apparent, in the 
first place, that the figures are spoiled by stays; 
secondly, that the dress is cut too low in front ; and 
thirdly, that the large sleeves sometimes give too 
great width in front to the shoulders. These defects 
are, in some degree, counterbalanced by the graceful 
flow of the ample drapery, and of the large sleeves, 
which are frequently widest at their lower part, and 
by the gently undulating line which unites the 
waist of the dress with the skirt. The Yandyck 
dress, with its voluminous folds, is, however, more ap- 
propriate to the inhabitants of palaces, than to the 
ordinary occupants of this working-day world. The 
drapery is too wide and flowing for convenience. 
The annexed cut, (Fig. 73,) representing Charlotte 
de la Tremouille, the celebrated Countess of Derby, 
exhibits some of the defects and many of the beau- 
ties of the Yandyck dress. 

Lely's half-dressed figures may be passed over 
without comment ; they are draped, not dressed. 
Kneller's are more instructive on the subject of 



86 KEMARKS ON PAETICULAR COSTUMES. 



costume. The dress of Queen Anne, (Fig. 74,) in 
Kneller's portrait, is graceful and easy. The cos- 
tume is a kind of transition between tlie yand3^ck 
and Reynolds style. The sleeves are smaller at the 
shoulder than in the former, and larger at the lower 
part than in the latter ; in fact, they resemble those 
now worn by the modern Greeks. The dress is cut 
higher round the bust, and is longer in the waist 
than the Yandycks, while the undulating line 
uniting the body and skirt is still preserved. While 
such good examples were set by the painters — who 
were not, however, the inventors of the fashions 
they painted — it is astonishing that these graceful 
styles of dress should have been superseded in real 
life by the lofty head-dresses and preposterous 
fashions which prevailed during the same period 
and long afterwards, and which even the ironical 
and severe remarks of Addison, in the " Si)ectator," 
were unable to banish from the circles of fashion. 

Speaking of the dresses of ladies during the reigns 
of James II. and William III., Mr. Planche, in his 
" History of British Costumes," says, " The tower or 



REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 87 



commode was still worn, and the gowns and ijetti- 
coats flounced and fm^belowed, so that every part of 
the garment was in cm'l ; " and a lady of fashion 
" looked like one of those animals," says the " Spec- 
tator," "which in the country we call a Friesland 
hen." But in 1711 we find Mr. Addison remark- 
ing, " The whole sex is now dwarfed and shrunk 
into a race of beauties that seems almost another 
species. I remember several ladies who were once 
nearly seven foot high, that at present want some 
inches of five. How they come to be thus curtailed 
I cannot learn ; whether the whole sex be at present 
under any penance which we know nothing of, or 
whether they have cast their head-dresses in order 
to surprise us with something in that kind which 
shall be entirely new : though I find most are of 
opinion they are at present like trees lopped and 
pruned, that will certainly sprout up and flourish 
with greater heads than before." 

The costume of the time of Sir Joshua Keynolds, 
as treated by this great artist, though less splendid, 
appears to us, with the exception of the head-dress, 



88 REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 



nearly as graceful, and far more convenient than 
the Yandyck dress. It is more modest, more easy, 
and better adapted to show the true form of the 
shoulders, while the union of the body of the dress 
with the skirt is effected in the same graceful man- 
ner as in the Yandyck portraits. The materials 
of the drapery in the latter is generally silks and 
satins; of the former, it is frequently muslin and 
stuff of a soft texture, which clings more closely 
to the form. That much of the elegance of both 
styles of dress is to be attributed to the skill and 
good taste of the painters, is evident from an exam- 
ination of portraits by contemporary artists. Much 
also may be ascribed to the taste of the wearer. 

There are some people who, though habited in the 
best and lichest clothes, never appear well dressed ; 
their garments, rumpled and untidy, look as if they 
had been pitched on theni, like hay, with a fork , 
w^hile others, whose dress consists of the most home- 
ly materials, appear well dressed, from the neatness 
and taste with which their clothes are arranged. 

Many of the costumes of Gainsborough's portraits 



^^M) 




REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 89 



are elegant and graceful, with the frequent excep- 
tion of the extravagant head-dress and the high- 
heeled shoes. The easy and very pleasing figure, 
(Fig. 75,) after this accomplished artist, is not 
exempt from the above defects. 

In our next illustration, (Fig. 76,) Gainsborough 
has not been so happy. The lady is almost lost in 
her voluminous and fluttering drapery, and the dis- 
hevelled hair and the enormous hat give to the 
figure much of the appearance of a caricature. 

Leaving now the caprices of fashion, we must 
notice a class of persons who, from a religious mo- 
tive, have resisted for two hundred years the tyran- 
ny of fashion, and, until recently, have transmitted 
the same form of dress from mother to daughter for 
nearly the same period of years. The ladies of the 
Society of Friends, or, as they are usually called, 
" Quakers," are still distinguished by the simplicity 
and neatness of their dress — the quiet drabs and 
browns of which frequently contrast with the rich- 
ness of the material — and by the absence of all 
ornament and frippery. Every part of their dress 

12 



90 REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 



is useful and convenient; it has neither frills, nor 
flounces, nor trimmings to carry the dirt and get 
shabby before the dress itself, nor wide sleeves to 
dip in the plates and lap up the gravy and sauces, 
nor artificial flowers, nor bows of ribbons. The dress 
is long enough for decency, but not so long as to 
sweep the streets, as many dresses and shawls are 
daily seen to do. Some few years back the Quaker 
ladies might have been reproached with adhering to 
the letter, while they rejected the spirit, of their code 
of dress by adhering too literally to the costume 
handed down to them. The crowns of their caps 
were formerly made very high, and for this reason 
it was necessary that the crowns of their bonnets 
should be high enough to admit the cap crown; 
hence the peculiarly ugly and remarkable form of 
this part of the dress. The crown of the cap has, 
however, recently been lowered, and the Quaker 
ladies, with much good sense, have not only modi- 
fied the form of their bonnets, but have also adopt- 
ed the straw and drawn silk bonnet in their most 
simple forms. In the style of their dress, also, they 



REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 91 



occasionally approach so near the fashions generally 
worn, that they are no longer distinguishable by 
the singularity of their dress, but by its simplicity 
and chasteness. 

We venture now to devote a few words to the 
Bloomer costume, (Fig. 77,) although we are aware 
that we are treading on tender ground, especially as 
the costume involves a sudden and complete change 
in the dress. Independently of its merits or de- 
merits, there are several reasons why it did not 
succeed in this country. In the first place, as we 
have before observed, it originated in America, and 
was attempted to be introduced through the middle 
ranks. In the second place, the change which it 
endeavored to effect was too sudden. Had the 
alteration commenced with the higher classes, and 
the change been effected gradually, its success might 
possibly have been different. Thirdly, the large 
hat, so well adapted to the burning sun of America, 
was unnecessary, and remarkable when forming a 
part of the costume of adulf ladies in this country, 
although we have seen that hats quite as large were 



92 REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 



worn during the time of Gainsborough. Another 
reason for the ill success of the Bloomer costume 
is to be found in the glaring and frequently ill- 
assorted colors of the prints of it, which were every 
where exposed in the shop windows. By many 
sober-minded persons, the large hat and glaring 
colors were looked upon as integral parts of the 
costume. The numerous caricatures also, and the 
injudicious attempts to make it popular by getting 
up " Bloomer Balls," contributed to render the cos- 
tume ridiculous and unpopular. 

Setting aside the hat, the distinguishing charac- 
teristics of the costume are the short dress, and 
a polka jacket fitting the body at the throat and 
shoulders, and confined at the waist by a silken 
sash, and the trousers fastened by a band round the 
ankle, and finished off with a frill. On the score of 
modesty there can be no objection to the dress, since 
the whole of the body is covered. On the ground 
of convenience it recommends itself to those who, 
having the superintendence of a family, are obliged 
frequently to go up and down stairs, on which 



REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 93 



occasions it is always necessary to raise the dress 
before or behind, according to circumstances. The 
objection to the trousers is not to this article of 
dress being worn, since that is a general practice, 
but to their being seen. Yet we suspect few ladies 
would object on this account to appear at a fancy 
ball in the Turkish costume. 

The disadvantages of the dress are its novelty — 
for we seldom like a fashion to which we are en- 
tirely unaccustomed — and the exposure which it 
involves of the foot, the shape of which, in this 
country, is so frequently distorted by wearing tight 
shoes of a different shape from the foot. The short 
dress is objectionable in another point of view, 
because, as short petticoats diminish the apparent 
height of the person, none but those who possess 
tall and elegant figures will look well in this cos- 
tume ; and appearance is generally suffered to pre- 
vail over utility and convenience. If to the Bloomer 
costume had been added the long under-dress of the 
Greek women, or had the trousers been as full as 
those worn by the Turkish and East Indian women, 



94 REMARKS ON PARTICULAR COSTUMES. 



the general effect of the dress would have been much 
more elegant, although perhaps less useful. Setting 
aside all considerations of fashion, as we always do 
in looking at the fashions which are gone by, it was 
impossible for any person to deny that the Bloomer 
costume was by far the most elegant, the most 
modest, and the most convenient. 



ORNAMENT 



ECONOMY. 



9o 



CHAPTER VII 



ORNAMENT — ECONOMY. 




RNAMENT, although not an integral 
part of dress, is so intimately con- 
nected with it, that we must devote a 
few words to the subject. 

Under the general term of ornament 
we shall include bows of ribbon, artificial flowers, 
feathers, jewels, lace, fringes, and trimmings of all 
kinds. Some of these articles appear to be suited 
to one period of life, some to another. Jewels, for 
instance, though suitable for middle age, seem mis- 
placed on youth, which should always be character- 
ized by simplicity of apparel ; while flowers, which 
are so peculiarly adapted to youth, are unbecoming 
to those advanced in years ; in the latter case there 
is contrast without harmony ; it is like uniting May 
with December. 



96 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



The great principle to be observed with regard 
to ornament is, that it should be appropriate, and 
appear designed to answer some useful purpose. 
A brooch, or a bow of ribbon, for instance, should 
fasten some part of the dress ; a gold chain should 
support a watch or an eyeglass. Trimmings are 
useful to mark the borders or edges of the different 
parts of the dress ; and in this light they add to 
the variety, while by their repetition they conduce 
to the regularity of the ornamentation. 

Ornament is so much a matter of fashion, that 
beyond the above remarks it scarcely comes w^ithin 
the scope of our subject. There is one point, how- 
ever, to which the present encouragement of works 
of design induces us to draw the attention of our 
readers. We have already borrowed from the beau- 
tiful work of M. de Stackelberg, some of the female 
figures in illustration of our views with regard to 
dress ; we have now to call the attention of our 
readers to the patterns embroidered on the dresses. 
These are mostly of classic origin, and prove that 
the descendants of the Greeks have still sufficient 



^^y. 



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^ 
J 



J? 










'^<^-''-[;i^i,'^'^. "■^-.<^- ^^y- oVx*'- ''J V" Oi ' --f. vl P .-.;V V ^' V 







22 




H 




OENAMENT ECONOMY. 97 



good taste to appreciate and adopt the designs of 
their glorious ancestors. The figures in the plates 
being too small to show the patterns, we have en- 
larged some of them from the original work, in order 
to show the style of design still cultivated among 
the i3easants of Greece, and also because we think 
the designs may be applied to other materials be- 
sides dress. Some of them appear not inappro- 
priate to iron work. When will our people be 
able to show designs of such elegance ? Fig. 78 is 
an enlarged copy of the embroidery on the robe of 
the peasant from the environs of Athens, (Fig. 49.) 
It extends, as will be seen, half way up the skirt. 
Fig. 79 is from the sleeve of the same dress. Fig. 
80 is the pattern embroidered on the sleeve of the 
pelisse. Fig. 81 is the pattern from the waist to 
the hem of the skirt of an Athenian peasant's dress, 
(Fig. 51.) Fig. 82 is the border to the shawl; Fig. 
83, the sleeve of the last-mentioned dress ; Fig. 84, 
the design on the apron of the Arcadian peasant, 
(Fig. 48.) Fig. 85 is the border of the same dress. 
Fig. 86 is the pattern round the hem of the long 

13 



98 OKNAMENT ECONOMY. 



under-dress of the Athenian peasant, (Fig. 51;) 
Fig. 87, the border of a shawl, or something of the 
Idnd. Fig. 88 is another example. The brocade 
dress of Sancta Victoria (Fig. 64) offers a striking 
contrast to the simple elegance of the Greek de- 
signs. It is too large for the purpose to which it 
is employed, and not sufficiently distinct; and, 
although it possesses much variety, it is deficient 
in regularity ; and one of the elements of beauty in 
ornamental design, namely, repetition, appears to 
be entirely wanting. In these respects, the superi- 
ority of the Greek designs is immediately apparent. 
They unite at once symmetry with regularity, and 
variety with repetition. 

The examination of these designs suggests the 
reflection that when we have once attained a form 
of dress which ^combines ease and elegance with 
convenience, we should tax our ingenuity in invent- 
ing ornamental designs for decorating it, rather 
than seek to discover novel forms of dress. 

The endless variety of textile fabrics which our 
manufacturers are constantly producing, the variety, 



^^^wm 




ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 99 



also, in the colors, will, with the embroidery pat- 
terns issued by our schools of design, suffice to 
appease the constant demand for novelty, which 
exists in an improving country, without changing 
the form of our costume, unless to adopt others 
which reason and common sense point out as 
superior to that in use. We are told to try all 
things, and to hold fast to that which is good. 
The maxim is applicable to dress as well as to 
morals. 

The subject of economy in dress, an essential 
object with many persons, now claims our attention. 
"We venture to offer a few remarks on this head. 
Our first recommendation is to have but few dresses 
at a time, and those extremely good. If we have 
but few dresses, we wear them, and wear them out 
while they are in fashion ; but if we have many 
dresses at once, some of them become quite old- 
fashioned before we have done with them. If we 
are rich enough to afford the sacrifice, the old- 
fashioned dress is got rid of; if not, we must be 
content to appear in a fashion that has long been 



100 ORNAMENT FCONOMY, 



superseded ; and we look as if we had come out 
of the tombs, or as if one of our ancestors had 
stepped out of her picture frame, and again walked 
the earth. 

As to the economy of selecting the best materials 
for dresses, we argue thus: Every dress must be 
lined and made up, and we pay as much for making 
and lining an inferior article, as we do for one of 
the best quality. Now, a good silk or merino will 
wear out two bad ones ; therefore, one good dress, 
lining and making, will cost less than two inferior 
ones, with the exj^enses of lining and making them. 
In point of appearance, also, there is no comparison 
between the two ; the good dress will look well to 
the last, while one of inferior quality will soon look 
shabby. When a good silk dress has become too 
shabby to be worn longer as a dress, it becomes, 
when cut up, useful for a variety of purposes ; 
whereas an inferior silk, or one purely ornamental, 
is, when left off, good for nothing. 

Plain dresses, that is to say, those of a single 
color, and without a pattern, are more economical 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 101 



as well as more quiet in their appearance than those 
of various colors. They are also generally less ex- 
pensive, because something is always paid for the 
novelty of the fashion ; besides, colored and figured 
dresses bear the date on the face of them, as plainly 
as if it was there in printed characters. The ages 
of dress fabrics are known by the pattern ; therefore 
dresses of this description should be put on as soon 
as purchased, and worn out at once, or they will 
appear old-fashioned. There is another reason why 
vari-colored dresses are less economical than others. 
Where there are several colors, they may not all 
be equally fast, and if only one of them fades the 
dress will lose its beauty. Trimmings are not 
economical ; besides their cost in the first in- 
stance, they become shabby before the dress, and 
if removed, they generally leave a mark where 
they have been, and so spoil the appearance of the 
dress. 

Dresses made of one kind of- material only, are 
more durable than those composed of two; as, for 
instance, of cotton and silk, of cotton and worsted. 



102 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



or of silk and worsted. When the silk is merely 
thrown on the face of the material, it soon wears off. 
This is also the case in those woollen or cotton 
goods which have a silken stripe. 

The question of economy also extends to colors, 
some of which are much more durable than others. 
For this we can give no rule, except that drabs and 
other " Quaker colors," as they are frequently called, 
are amongst the most permanent of all colors. For 
other colors we must take the word of the draper. 
There is no doubt, however, but that the most 
durable colors are the cheapest in the end. In 
the selection of colors, the expense is not always 
a criterion ; something must be paid for fashion 
and novelty, and perhai^s for the cost of the dye. 
The newest and most expensive colors are not 
always those which last the longest. 

It is not economical to have the dresses made 
in the extremity of the fashion, because such soon 
become remarkable ; but the fashions should be 
followed at such a distance, that the wearer may 
not attract the epithet of old-fashioned. 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 103 



We conclude this part of our subject with a few 
suggestions relative to the selection of different 
styles and materials of dress. 

The style of dress should be adapted to the age 
of the wearer. As a general rule, we should say 
that in youth the dress should be simple and ele- 
gant, the ornaments being flowers. In middle age, 
the dress may be of rich materials, and more splen- 
did in its character; jewels are the appropriate 
ornaments. In the decline of life, the materials of 
which the dress is composed may be equally rich, 
but with less vivacious colors : the tertiaries and 
broken colors are particularly suitable, and the 
character of the whole costume should be quiet, 
simple, and dignified. The French, whose taste in 
dress is so far in advance of our own, say, that 
ladies who are cinquante ans sonnes, should neither 
wear gay colors, nor dresses of slight materials, 
flowers, feathers, or much jewelry ; that they should 
cover their hair, wear high dresses and long sleeves. 

Tall ladies may wear flounces and tucks, but they 
are less appropriate for short persons. As a gen- 



104 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



eral rule, vertical stripes make persons appear taller 
than they really are, but horizontal stripes have a 
contrary effect. The latter, Mr. Eedgrave says, are 
not admissible in garment fabrics, " since, crossing 
the person, the pattern quarrels with all the mo- 
tions of the human figure, as well as with the form 
of the long folds in the skirts of the garment. 
For this reason," he continues, "large and pro- 
nounced checks, however fashionable, are often in 
bad taste, and interfere with the graceful arrange- 
ment of the drapery." Is it to show their entire 
contempt for the principles of design that our man- 
ufacturers introduced last year not only horizontal 
stripes of conspicuous colors, but checks and plaids 
of immense size, as autumnal fashions for dress 
fabrics ? We had hoped that the ladies would have 
shown the correctness of their taste by their dis 
approval of these unbecoming designs, but the 
jjrevalence of the fashion at the present time is 
another evidence of the triumph of fashion over 
good taste. 
A white and light-colored dress makes the wearers 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. J05 



a]3pear larger, while a black or dark dress causes 
them to appear smaller than they actually are. A 
judicious person will, therefore, avail herself of 
these known effects, by adojiting the style of dress 
most suitable to her stature. 

To sum up, in a few words, our impressions 
on this subject, we should say that the best style 
of dress is that which, being exactly adapted to the 
climate and the individual, is at once modest, quiet, 
and retiring, harmonious in color and decoration, 
and of good materials. 

We conclude with the following admirable extract 
from Tobin's " Honeymoon," which we earnestly 
recommend to the attention of our fair readers. 

I'll have no glittering gewgaws stuck about you 
To stretch the gaping eyes of idiot wonder, 
And make men stare upon a piece of earth, 
As on the star-wrought firmament — no feathers, 
To wave as streamers to your vanity ; 
Nor cumbrous silk, that with its rustling sound 
Makes proud the flesh that bears it. She's adorned 
Amply, that in her husband's eye looks lovely — 
The truest mirror that an honest wife 
Can see her beauty in ! 
14 



106 ORNAMENT ECONOMY, 



Julia. I shall observe, sir. 

Duke. I should like well to see you in the dress I last 
presented you. 

Julia. The blue one, sir? 

Buke. No, love, — the white. Thus modestly attired, 
A half-blown rose stuck in thy braided hair, 
With no more diamonds than those eyes are made of, 
No deeper rubies than compose thy lips, 
Nor pearls more precious than inhabit them, 
With the pure red and white, which that same hand 
Which blends the rainbow, mingles in thy cheeks ; 
This well-proportioned form (think not I flatter) 
In graceful motion to harmonious sounds, 
And thy free tresses dancing in the wind, 
Thou'lt fix as much observance, as chaste dames 
Can meet without a blush. 

We look forward hopefully to a day when art- 
education will be extended to all ranks; when a 
knowledge of the beautiful will be added to that 
of the useful ; when good taste, based upon real 
knowledge and common sense, will dictate our 
fashions in dress as in other things. We have 
schools of art to reform our taste in pottery, hard- 
ware, and textile fabrics, not to speak of the higher 
walks of art, painting, sculpture, and architecture. 
The handle of a jug, the stem of a wine glass, the 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 107 



design for dress silks or lace veils, will form the 
subjects of lectures to the students of the various 
schools of design ; disquisitions are written on the 
important question whether the ornamental designs 
should represent the real form of objects, or only 
give a conventional representation of them; while 
the study of the human figure, the masterpiece of 
creation, is totally neglected, excej)t by painters and 
sculptors. We hope that the study of form will be 
more extended, that it will be universal, that it 
will, in fact, enter into the general scheme of 
education, and that we shall hereafter see as much 
pains bestowed in improving by appropriate cos- 
tume the figure which nature has given us, as we 
do now in distorting it by tight stays, narrow and 
high-heeled shoes, and all the other deformities and 
eccentricities of that many-faced monster, fashion. 
The economy of the frame, and the means of pre- 
serving it in health and beauty, should form an 
integral part of education. There can be no true 
beauty without health ; and how can we hope to 
secure health if we are ignorant of the means of 



108 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



promoting it, or if we violate its precepts by adopt- 
ing absurd and pernicious fashions? Surely it is 
not too much to hope that dressmakers will here- 
after attend the schools of design, to study the 
human form, and thence learn to appreciate its 
beauties, and to clothe it with appropriate dress, 
calculated to display its beauties to the greatest ad- 
vantage, and to conceal its defects — the latter with 
the reservation we have already noticed. We hope, 
also, that the shoemaker will learn to model the 
shoe upon the true form of the foot. 

Manufacturers are now convinced of the impor- 
tance and utility of schools of design ; and whether 
the article hereafter to be produced be a cup and 
saucer, a fender, a pattern for a dress, or for furni- 
ture, for a service of plate or a diamond tiara, it 
is thought proper that the pupil, as a preliminary 
course that cannot be dispensed with, should com- 
mence with the study of the human figure. Yet is 
not dress an art-manufacture as well as a cup and 
saucer, or a teaboard ? Is there less skill and 
talent, less taste required to clothe the form which 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 109 



we are told is made after God's own image, than to 
furnish an apartment ? Why should not dressmakers 
and tailors attend the schools of design, as well as 
those artisans who are intended to be employed in 
w^hat are called art-manufactures ? Why should not 
shoemakers be taught the shape and movements 
of the foot ? If this were the case, we are satisfied 
that an immediate and permanent improvement 
would be the consequence in our style of dress. 
Would any person acquainted with the human 
form, and especially with the little round form of 
an infant, ha?ve sent to the Great Exhibition an 
infant's robe shaped like that in our cut. Fig. 89. 
An infant with a waist "growing fine by degrees 
and beautifully less" ! — was there ever such a de- 
formity ? We believe that many portrait painters 
stipulate that they should be allowed to dictate 
the dress, at least as regards the arrangement of 
the colors, of their sitters ; the reason of this is, that 
the painter's selection of dress and color is based 
upon the study of the figure and complexion of the 
individual, or the knowledge of the effects of con- 



110 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



trast and harmony of lines, tissues, and colors, 
while the models which are presented for his imi- 
tation too frequently offer to his view a style of 
dress, both as regards form and color, which set 
the rules of harmony at defiance. Now, only 
suppose that the dressmaker had the painter's 
knowledge of form and harmony of lines and colors, 
what a revolution would take place in dress ? We 
should no longer see the tall and the short, the 
slender and the stout, the brown and the fair, the 
old and the young, dressed alike, but the dress 
would' be adapted to the individual ; and we believe 
that, were the plan of study we recommend generally 
adopted, this purpose might always be efiected 
without the sacrifice of what is now the grand de- 
sideratum in dress — novelty. 

The reaspns why the art of dressmaking has not 
hitherto received the attention which it deserves, 
are to be sought for in the constitution of society. 
The branches of manufacture which require a 
knowledge of design, such as calico printing, silk 
and ribbon weaving, porcelain and pottery, and 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. Ill 



hardware manufactures, are conducted on a large 
scale by men of wealth and talent, who, if they 
would compete successfully with rival manufacturers, 
find it necessary to study and apply to their own 
business all the improvements in science, with 
which their intercourse with society gives them an 
opportunity of becoming acquainted. It is quite 
otherwise with dressmaking. A woman is at the 
head of every establishment of this kind, a woman 
generally of limited education and attainments, 
from whom cannot be expected either liberality of 
sentiment or enlarged views, but who possibly 
possesses some tact and discrimination of character, 
which enables her to exercise a kind of dictatorial 
power in matters of dress over her customers; 
these customers are scarcely better informed on 
the subject than herself. 

The early life of the dressmaker is spent in a 
daily routine of labor with the needle, and when 
she becomes a mistress in her turn, she exacts from 
her assistants the same amount of daily labor that 
was formerly expected from herself. Work, work, 



112 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



work with the needle from almost childhood, in the 
same close room from morning to night, and not 
unfrequently from night to morning also, is the 
everlasting routine of the monotonous life of the 
dressmakers. They are working for bread, and have 
no leisure to attend to the improvement of the mind, 
and the want of this mental cultivation is apparent 
in the articles they produce by their labor. When 
one of the young women who attends these estab- 
lishments to learn the trade, thinks she has had 
sufficient experience, she leaves the large establish- 
ment, and sets up in business on her own account. 
In this new situation she works equally hard, and 
has, therefore, no time for improving her mind or 
taste. Of the want of this, however, she is not 
sensible, because she can purchase for a trifle all 
the newest patterns, and the thought never enters 
her poor little head, that the same fashion may 
not suit all her customers. This defective edu- 
cation of the dressmakers, or rather their want of 
knowledge of the human form, is one of the great 
causes of the prevalence of the old fashion of tight 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 113 



lacing; it is so much easier to make a closely- 
littijig body suit over a tight stay than it is on 
the pliant and yielding natural form, in which, if 
one part be drawn a little too tight, or the con- 
trary, the body of the dress is thrown out of shape. 
Supposing, on the other hand, the fit to be exact, 
it is so difficult to keep such a tight-fitting body 
in its place on the figure without securing its form 
by whalebones, that it is in vain to expect the stays 
to become obsolete until the tight-fitting bodice 
is also given up. 

This will never take place until not only the 
ladies who are to be clothed, but the dressmakers, 
shall make the human form their study, and direct 
their efforts to set off their natural advantages by 
attending to the points which are their character- 
istic beauties. A long and delicate throat, falling 
shoulders, not too wide from point to point, a flat 
back, round chest, wide hips ^^ these are the points 
which should be developed by the dress. Whence 
it follows, that every article of dress which shortens 
the throat, adds height or width to the shoulders, 

15 



114 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



roundness to the back, or flatness to the chest, 
must be radically wrong in principle, and unpleas- 
ant and repulsive in effect. In the same manner, 
whatever kind of dress adds to the height of a figure 
already too tall and thin, or detracts from the ap- 
parent height of the short and stout, must be 
avoided. These things should form the study of 
the dressmaker. 

As society is now constituted, however, the dress- 
maker has not, as we have already observed, leisure 
to devote to studies of the necessity and impor- 
tance of which she is still ignorant. The reform 
must be begun by the ladies themselves. They 
must acquire a knowledge of form, and of the 
principles of beauty and harmony, and so exercise 
a controlling influence over the dressmakers. By 
this means, a better taste will be created, and the 
dressmakers will at length discover their deficiency 
in certain guiding principles, and will be driven at 
last to resort to similar studies. But in this case 
a startling difficulty presents itself — the poor dress- 
maker is at present over-worked : how can she find 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 115 



leisure to attend the schools of design, or even pur- 
sue, if she had the ability, the necessary studies at 
home ? A girl is apprenticed to the trade at the 
age of thirteen or fourteen ; she works at it all her 
life, rising early, and late taking rest ; and what is 
the remuneration of her daily toil of twelve hours ? 
Eighteen pence, or at most two shillings a day, 
with her board ! * As she reckons the value of the 
latter at a shilling, it follows, that the earnings 
of a dressmaker, in the best period of her life, who 
goes out to work, could not exceed fifteen shillings, 
or, at the most, eighteen shillings a week, if she 
did not — at the hazard of her health, wiiich, in- 
deed, is frequently sacrificed — work at home be- 
fore she begins, and after she has finished, her 
day's work abroad. The carpenter or house painter 
does not work harder, or bring to bear on his em- 
ployment greater knowledge, than the poor dress- 
maker ; yet he has four shillings sixpence a day, 

* Of course it will be understood that these are the English 
prices ; but does not the comparison hold good between male and 
female labor in this country ? 



116 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



without his board, while she has only what is 
equivalent to two shillings sixpence, or three shil- 
lings. What reason can be assigned why a wo- 
man's work, if equally well done, should not be 
as well paid as that of a man ? A satisfactory 
reason has yet to be given ; the fact, however, is 
indisputable, that women are iiot in general so well 
paid for their labor as men. 

Although these remarks arose naturally out of our 
subject, we must not digress too far. To return to 
the dressmaker. If the hours of labor of these white 
slaves who toil in the dressmaking establishments 
were limited to ten or twelve hours, as in large fac- 
tories, two consequences would follow : the first is, 
that more hands would be employed, and the sec- 
ond, that the young women would have time to 
attend schools, and improve their minds. If they 
could also attend occasional lectures on the figure, 
and on the harmony of color and costume with ref- 
erence to dress, the best efifects would follow. 

Those dressmakers who are rich enough, and, we 
may add, many ladies also, take in some book of 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 117 



fashions with colored illustrations, and from this 
they imbibe their notions of beauty of form and 
elegance of costume. How is it possible, we would 
ask, for either the dressmaker or the ladies who 
employ them to acquire just ideas of form, or of 
suitable costume, when their eyes are accustomed 
only to behold such deformed and unnatural rep- 
resentations of the human figure as those in the 
accompanying plates? Figs. 90 and 91. Is it any 
wonder that small waists should be admired, when 
the books which aspire to be the handmaids and 
mirrors of fashion present to their readers such 
libels on beauty of form ? Now, suppose that lith- 
ographed drawings of costumes issued occasionally 
from the schools of design, is it not reasonable to 
suppose that, with the knowledge which the stu- 
dents have acquired of the human figure, the illus- 
trations would be more accurate imitations of na- 
ture ? An eye accustomed to the study of nature 
can scarcely bear to contemplate, much less to im- 
itate, the monsters of a depraved taste which dis- 
grace the different publications that aspire to make 



118 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



known the newest fasliions. Many of the iUustra- 
tions of these publications, although ill propor- 
tioned, are executed in a certain stylish manner 
which takes with the uneducated, and the mechan- 
ical execution of the figures is also good. This, 
however, is so far from being an advantage, that it 
only renders them the more dangerous ; like the 
song of the siren, they lead only to evil. 

We are told that many of the first Parisian artists 
derive a considerable part of their income from 
drawing the figures in the French books of fash- 
ion and costume, and that, in the early part 
of his career, Horace Vernet, the president of 
the French Academy, did not disdain to employ 
his talents in this way. We cannot, however, refrain 
from expressing our surprise and honest indigna- 
tion that artists of eminence, especially those 
who, like the French school, have a reputation for 
correct drawing, and who must, therefore, be so well 
acquainted with the actual as w^ell as ideal propor- 
tions of the female figure, should so prostitute their 
talents as to employ them in delineating the ill- 



ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 119 



proportioned figures whicli appear in books of 
fashions. It is no small aggravation of their of- 
fence, in our eyes, that the figures should be drawn 
in such graceful positions, and with the exception 
of the defective proportions, with so much skill. 
These beauties only make them more dangerous; 
the goodness of their execution misleads the unfor- 
tunate victims of their fascination. What young 
lady, unacquainted with the proportions of the 
figure, could look on these prints of costumes and 
go away without the belief that a small w^aist and 
foot were essential elements of beauty ? So she 
goes home from her dressmaker's, looks in the glass, 
and not finding her own waist and foot as small 
as those in the books of fashion, gives her stay-lace 
an extra tightening pull, and, regardless of corns, 
squeezes her feet into tight shoes, which makes the 
instep aj)pear swollen. Both the figures in our last 
plates were originally drawn and engraved by 
Jules David, and Keville, in "Ze Moniteur cle la 
Mode,'' which is published at Paris, London, New 
York, and St. Petersburg. Let our readers look at 



120 ORNAMENT ECONOMY. 



these figures, and say whether the most determined 
votary of tight lacing ever succeeded in compressing 
her waist into the proportions represented in these 
figures. 

We should like to hear that lectures were given 
occasionally, by a lady in the female school of de- 
sign, on the subjects of form, and of dress in its 
adaptation to form and to harmony of color. We 
have no doubt that a lady competent to deliver 
these lectures will readily be found. After a course 
of these lectures, we do not hesitate to predict that 
illustrations of fashion emanating from this source 
would be, in point of taste, every thing that could 
be desired. We venture to think that the students 
of the female school may be as well and as profit- 
ably employed in designing costumes, as in invent- 
ing patterns for cups and saucers or borders for 
veils. Until some course, of the nature we have 
indicated, is adopted, we cannot hope for any per- 
manent improvement in our costume. 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 121 




CHAPTER VIII. 

SOME THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 
BY MRS. MERRIFIELD. 

AN any good and sufficient reason be 
given, said a friend, as we were con- 
templating the happy faces and lively 
gestures of a party of boys and girls, 
who, one cold, frosty evening, were 
playing at the old game called " I sent a letter to 
my love," why, when one of the party picks up the 
ball which another has thrown down, the boys 
always stoop, while the girls (with the exception 
of one little rosy girl, who is active and supple as 
the boys) invariably drop on one knee ? At first 
we almost fancied this must be a new way of play- 
ing the game ; but when one of the seniors threw a 
handful of bonbons among the children, and in theif 
eager scramble to pick up the tempting sweets we 

16 



122 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS 



observed the same respective actions, namely, that 
the boys stooped, while the girls knelt on one knee, 
we began to meditate on the cause of this diversity 
of action. A little more observation convinced us 
that the girls, though equally lively, were less free 
in their movement than the boys. We observed, 
also, that every now and then some of the girls 
stopped and hitched their clothes, (which appeared 
almost in danger of falling off,) with an awkward 
movement, first upon one shoulder, and then on 
the other, while others jerked one shoulder upwards, 
which caused the sleeve on that side to sink nearly 
to the elbow. "Now," we exclaimed, ''we can 
solve the problem : the different actions are caused 
by the difference in the dress ; let us see where the 
difference lies." So we continued our observations, 
and soon found that the boys were all dressed in 
high dresses up to the throat, while the bands 
which encircled their waists were so loose as merely 
to keep the dress in its place without confining it ; 
in short, that their dress did not offer the slightest 
restraint on their freedom of movement. It was 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 123 



otherwise with the girls, excepting the little rosy 
girl before mentioned : they were dressed in low 
dresses, and their shoulders were so bare that we 
involuntarily thought of a caterpillar casting its 
skin, and began to fear, from the uneasy move- 
ment of their shoulders, that the same thing 
might happen to the children, when we observed 
that this was rendered impossible by the tightness 
of the clothes about the waist. The mystery was 
now cleared up ; the tightness of the dress at the 
waist, while it prevented the children from " slip- 
ping shell," as it were, entirely destroyed their free- 
dom of movement. We could not help contrasting 
these poor girls — dressed in the very pink of fash- 
ion, with their bare shoulders, compressed waists, 
and delicate appearance — with the rosy face, quick 
and active movement, and thick waist of the little girl 
before alluded to ; and we sighed as we thought that, 
induced by the culpable folly or ignorance of parents, 

" Pale decay- 
Would steal before the steps of time, 
And snatch 'their' bloom away." 



124 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 



"Whence does it arise," continued my friend, 
'' that the boys are clad in warm dresses, suited 
to the season, their chests and arms protected 
from the wintry air, and their feet incased in 
woollen stockings, while the girls are suffered to 
shiver at Christmas in muslin dresses, with bare 
necks and arms, and silk or thin cotton stock- 
ings ? Are they less susceptible of cold than boys ? 
Is their circulation less languid, that their clothes 
are so much thinner? Are their figures better, 
their health stronger, for the compression of their 
tender bodies by stays?" At this point our cogi- 
tations were stopped by a summons to supper ; 
and after supper, hats and shawls were produced, 
and we took our leave. Our young companions, 
fatigued with their exertions, soon fell asleep in 
the corners of the carriage, and we were left to our 
own meditations. Our thoughts once more reverted 
to the subject of children's dress, and gradually 
assumed the following form: — 

The subject of dress, which is so important both 
to our health and comfort, is usually treated as a 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 125 



matter of fashion, and is regulated partly by indi- 
vidual fancy, partly by tlie dictates of the modiste. 
Fashion, as it applies to the costume of men, is, 
with the exception of the hat, controlled by con- 
venience and common sense ; but with regard to 
the dress of women and children, neither of these 
considerations has any weight. The most extrava- 
gant and bizarre arrangements of form and colors 
will meet with admirers and imitators, provided 
they emanate from a fashionable source. The dress 
of children, especially, appears to be exceedingly 
fantastic in its character, and, with regard to that 
of girls, is ill adapted to secure the enjoyment of 
health and the perfect development of the figure. 
We venture to offer a few remarks on this highly 
interesting theme. 

In discussing the subject of children's dresSj 
several points present themselves for our consider- 
ation, namely, first, the adaptation of the costume 
to the climate, the movements, and healthful devel- 
opment of the figure ; and secondly, the general 
elegance of the habiliments, the harmony of the 



126 THOUGHTS ON CHILDKEN'S DRESS. 



colors, and their special adaptation to the age and 
individual characteristics of children. The first 
are essential conditions ; the latter, though too fre- 
quently treated as the most important, may, in 
comparison with the first, be deemed non-essentials. 
We shall remark on these subjects in the before- 
mentioned order. 

With regard to the adaptation of the dress of 
children to the climate, this appears so evident that 
any observations upon it might be deemed almost 
unnecessary ; yet, in practice, how little is it under- 
stood ! The great object in view in regulating the 
warmth of the clothing, is to guard the wearer from 
the vicissitudes of the climate, and to equalize the 
circulation, which is accelerated by heat and re- 
tarded by cold. Children are habitually full of 
activity, which quickens the circulation and pro- 
duces a determination to the skin ; in other words, 
causes some degree of perspiration, and if this per- 
spiration be suddenly checked by the application 
of cold, illness in some shape or other is induced. 
In order to lessen this risk, the clothing should be 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 127 



light and warm ; sufficiently warm to shield the 
child from the efiects of cold, but not to elevate 
greatly the temperature of the body. The latter 
would only render the child more susceptible of 
cold. Children are, by some over-careful but not 
judicious parents, so burdened with clothes that 
one is surprised to find they can move under the 
vast encumbrance. 

There is much diversity of opinion among medical 
men as to the propriety of wearing flannel next to 
the skin. The arguments appear to be in favor 
of the practice, provided that the thickness of the 
flannel be proportioned to the seasons of the year. 
In winter it should be thick ; in summer it can 
scarcely be too thin. Flannel is preferable to linen 
or calico, because, although it may be saturated 
with perspiration, it never strikes cold to the skin ; 
whereas linen, under similar circumstances, always 
does, and the sudden application of cold to the 
skin, when warmed by exercise, checks the circu- 
lation, and causes illness. 

Parents are frequently guilty of much inconsist- 



128 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS, 



ency in the clothing of their children. The child, 
perhaps, has delicate lungs ; it must, therefore, have 
warm clothing ; so garment after garment, made 
fashionably, that is to say, very full and very short, is 
heaped one upon the other over the chest and upper 
part of the body, until the poor child can scarcely 
move under the heavy burden with which, with 
mistaken kindness, it has been laden, while the 
lower limbs, in which the circulation is most lan- 
guid, and which require to be protected as well as 
the chest, are frequently exposed to the air, and the 
foot is covered with a shoe which is too thin to 
keep it dry. The consequence of this arrangement 
is, that the child, oppressed by the weight of its 
clothing, becomes overheated, and being cooled too 
hastily, catches severe colds. 

The habiliments of children cannot be too light 
in weight ; and this is perfectly consistent with a 
proper degree of warmth. Those parents are greatly 
to blame who, influenced only by appearance, and 
the wish to dress their children fashionably, add to 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 129 



the weight of theii' clothing by introducing so much 
unnecessary fuhiess into the skirts. 

The next point for consideration, and which is 
not infeiior in importance to the last, is the adapta- 
tion of the dress to the movements and healthful 
development of the figure; 'and, strange to say, this 
point is almost entirely overlooked by those who 
have the management and control of children, al- 
though a few honest and sensible medical men have 
raised their warning voices against the system now 
pursued. 

We hear every where of the march of intellect; 
we are perpetually told that the schoolmaster is 
abi'oad ; lessons and masters of all kinds are en- 
deavoring 

" To teach the young idea how to shoot ; " 

while the little delicate frame which is to bear all 
this mental labor is left to the ignorance of moth- 
ers and nurses, and the tender mercies of the dress- 
maker, who seems to think that the human frame 
is as easily moulded into an imitation of those 

17 



130 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS, 



libels on humanity rejoresentecl in books of fash- 
ionable costume as the materials with which she 
works. Would that we had powers of persuasion 
to convince our readers how greatly these figures, 
with their excessively-small waists, hands and feet, 
deviate from the actual proportions of well-formed 
women! Unfortunately, the pinched waist is too 
common in real life for those unacquainted with 
the proportions of the figure not to think it one 
of the essential elements pf beauty. So /ar, how- 
ever, from being a beauty, a small waist is an 
actual blemish. Never, until the economy of the 
human frame is studied by all classes, and a knowl- 
edge of the principles on which its beauties depend 
is disseminated among all ranks, can we hope that 
just ideas will be entertained on this subject. 

If there is one thing in which the schoolmaster 
or the reformer is more wanted than in another, 
it is in our dress. From our birth to our death 
we are the slaves of fashion, of prejudice, and of 
circumstances. The tender, unresisting infant, the 
delicate girl, the mature woman, alike sutfer from 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 131 



these evil influences; some fall victims to them, 
others suffer during life. Let us consider the dress 
of an infant. Here, however, it must be acknowl- 
edged that of late years much improvement has 
taken place in some respects, although much still 
remains to be done. Caps, with their trimming 
of three or four rows of lace, and large cockades 
which rivalled in size the dear little round face of 
the child, are discontinued almost entirely within 
doors, though the poor child is still almost over- 
whelmed with cap, hat, and feathers, in its daily 
airings, the additional weiglit which its poor neck 
has to sustain never once entering into the calcu- 
lation of its mother and nurse. Fine feathers, it is 
said, make fine birds. This may be true with 
respect to the feathered creation, but it is not so 
with regard to children. They suffer from the mis- 
placed finery, and from the undue heat of the head. 
And yet the head has, generally speaking, been 
better treated by us than the rest of the body. 
When we look back upon the history of costume, 
it really seems as if men — or women, shall we 



132 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 



say? — liad exercised tlieir ingenuity in torturing 
the human frame, and destroying its health and 
vigor. 

The American Indian compresses the tender skull 
of the infant, and binds its little body on to a flat 
board ; the Chinese squeezes the feet of the females ; 
the Italian peasants, following the custom of the 
Orientals, still roll the infant in swathing bands; 
the little legs of the child, that when left to its own 
disposal are in perpetual motion, now curled up to 
the body, then thrust out their extreme length, to 
the evident enjoyment of their owner, are extended 
in a straight line, laid side by side, and bandaged 
together, so that the infant reminds one in shape 
of a mummy. In this highly cultivated country we 
are guilty towards our infants of practices quite as 
senseless, as cruel, and as contrary to nature. The 
movements of the lower limbs, so essential to the 
healthy growth of the child, are limited and re- 
strained, if not altogether prevented, by the great 
weight that we hang upon them. The long petti- 
coats, in which every infant in this country has 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 133 



been for centuries doornqd to pass many months of 
its existence, are as absurd as they are prejudicial 
to the child. The evil has of late years rather in- 
creased than diminished, for the clothes are not only 
made much longer, but much fuller, so that the poor 
victim has an additional weight to bear. Many 
instances can be mentioned in which the long 
clothes have been made a yard and a quarter long. 
The absurdity of this custom becomes apparent, 
if we only imagine a mother or nurse of short 
statue carrying an infant in petticoats of this 
length ; and we believe that long clothes are always 
made totally irrespective of the height of mother or 
nurse. Imagine one or the other treading on the 
robe, and throwing herself and the child down ! 
Imagine, also, the probable consequences of such 
an accident ! And when one ventures to express 
doubts as to the propriety of dressing an infant 
in long clothes, instead of arguments in their favor, 
one is met by the absurd remark, " A baby looks 
so grand in long clothes ! " We have for some 
vears endeavored, as far as our influence extended, 



134 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 



to put an end to this practice, and in some cases 
we have so far succeeded as to induce the mother 
to short-coat the child before it was three months 
old, and even previous to this period to make the 
under garments of a length suited to the size of 
the child, while the frock or robe, as it is called, 
retained the fashionable length. The latter, being 
of fine texture, did not add considerably to the 
weight of the clothes. Children who have the free 
use of their limbs not only walk earlier than others, 
but are stronger on their feet. 

Another evil practice, which some years since 
prevailed universally, was that of rolling a bandage, 
three inches in width, and two or three yards in 
length, round the body of the child. The pain that 
such a bandage, from its unyielding nature, would 
occasion, not to speak of its ill effects on the health, 
may be readily imagined. This bandage was, in 
fact, a kind of breaking in for the tight lacing, the 
penalty which most females in this country have 
had, at some period or other, to undergo. 

There is no end of the inconsistencies of chil- 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 135 



dren's dress. If, in early infancy, they are buried 
in long petticoats, no sooner can they walk than 
the petticoats are so shortened that they scarcely 
cover the child's back when it stoops. The human 
race has a wonderful power of accommodating itself 
to a variety of temperatures and climates ; but per- 
haps it is seldom exposed to greater vicissitudes 
than in the change from long clothes to the ex- 
tremely short and full ones that are now fashion- 
able. The very full skirt is not so warm in 
proportion to its length as one of more moderate 
fulness; because, instead of clinging round the 
figure, it stands off from it, and admits the air 
under it. The former is also heavier than the 
latter, inasmuch as it contains more material ; and 
the weight of the clothing is a great disadvantage 
to a child. A sensible medical writer. Dr. John 
F. South, in an excellent little work entitled " Do- 
mestic Surgery," makes some very judicious obser- 
vations relative to children's dress. Of the fashion 
of dressing boys with the tunic reaching to the 
throat, and trousers, which are both so loose as 



136 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 



to offer no impediment to freedom of motion, he 
approves ; but he condemns, in the strongest 
terms, "the unnatural" — Mr. South remarks he 
had almost said "atrocious — system to which, in 
youth, if not in childhood, girls are subjected for 
the improvement of their figure and gait." 

It is fortunate for the present generation that it 
is the fashion for the dresses of even little girls to 
be made as high as the throat ; the old fashion of 
cutting the frock low round the neck, which still 
exists in what is called "full dress," is objectionable 
on more than one account. In the first place, it is 
objected to on the consideration of health ; because 
the upper part of the chest is not protected from 
the influence of currents of air, and by this means, 
as Mr. South observes, the foundation is laid for 
irritable lungs. In the next place, the dress is gen- 
erally suffered to fall off the shoulders, and is, in 
fact, only retained in its place by the tight band 
about the waist. To avoid the uneasiness occa- 
sioned by the pressure of the latter, the child slips 
its clothes off one shoulder, genei'ally the right. 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 137 



which it raises more than the other; the conse- 
quence of this is, that the raised shoulder becomes 
permanently higher than the other, and the spine 
is drawn towards the same side. It is said that 
there is scarcely one English woman in fifty who 
has not one shoulder higher or thicker than the 
other ; and there appears but little doubt that 
much of this deformity is to be ascribed to the 
above-mentioned cause. In confirmation of this 
opinion, it may be mentioned that the practice of 
wearing dresses low^ in the neck is almost peculiar 
to English girls ; French girls, nearly from infancy, 
wear high dresses, and it is certain that deformity 
is not so frequent among French w^omen as it is 
among English. 

The discipline of tight lacing is frequently begun 
so early in life, that the poor victim has little or no 
recollection of the pain and suffering occasioned by 
the pressure of the stiff and uncomfortable stays 
before the frame has become accustomed to them. 
Those of our readers who w^ere fortunate enough to 

18 



138 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS, 



escape this infliction in early life, and who adopted 
stiff stays at a more mature age, can bear testimony 
to the suffering occasioned by them during the first 
few weeks of their use. "0," said a girl who 
put on stiff stays, for the first time, at the age of 
fourteen or fifteen, " I wish bedtime was come, that 
I might take off these stiff and uncomfortable stays, 
they pain me so much." '' Hush, hush ! " ex- 
claimed a starch old maiden aunt, shocked at what 
she thought the indelicacy of the expression which 
pain had wrung from the i^oor girl ; " you must bear 
it for a time ; you will soon get used to it." Used 
to it! Yes, indeed, as the cook said the eels did 
to skinning, and with, as regards the poor girls, 
almost as disastrous consequences. 

There are three points of view in which tight 
lacing is prejudicial. It weakens the muscles of 
the shoulders and chest, which rust, as it were, for 
want of use; it injures, by pressure, the important 
organs contained in the chest and trunk; and, 
lastly, instead of improving the figure, it positively 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 139 



and absolutely deforms it. A waist dispropor- 
tionately small, compared with the stature and 
proportions of the individual, is a greater deformity 
than one which is too large; the latter is simply 
clumsy ; it does not injure the health of the person, 
while the former is not only prejudicial to health, 
but to beauty. Were our fair readers but once 
convinced of this fact, there would be an end of 
tight lacing ; and the good results arising from the 
abolition of this practice would be evident in the 
improved health of the next generation. 

What a host of evils follow in the steps of tight 
lacing ! Indigestion, hysteria, spinal distortion, 
consumption, liver complaints, disease of the heart, 
cancer, early death ! — these are a few of them, 
and enough to make both mothers and daughters 
tremble. It is an aggravation of the evil that is 
brought upon us frequently by the agency of a 
mother — of her upon whose affection and experi- 
ence a child naturally relies in all things, and whose 
lamentable ignorance of what constitutes beauty 



140 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 



of form, as well as her subjection to the thraldom 
of fashion, is the prolific source of so much future 
misery to her unsuspecting daughter. 

Education is the order of the day; but surely 
that education must be very superficial and incom- 
plete, of which the study of the economy of the 
human form, its various beauties, and the wonderful 
skill with which it was created, form no part. A 
girl spends several years in learning French, Italian, 
and German, which may be useful to her should 
she meet with French, Italians, or Germans, or 
should she visit the continent; she spends three, 
four, five, and sometimes six hours a day, in prac- 
tising on the piano, frequently without having any 
real talent for tliis accomplishment, while she is 
kept in utter ignorance of that which is of vital 
consequence not only to herself, but to her future 
offspring, namely, a knowledge of what constitutes 
true beauty, and contributes to the preservation of 
health, and, we may also add, of good humor and 
happiness ; for it is one of the evils attending ill 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 141 



health, that it frequently induces a fretful and 
irritable state of mind. Instead of the really useful 
knowledge of the economy of the frame, and the 
means of preserving health, girls are taught the 
constrained attitudes and the artificial deportment 
of the dancing master. The remark of Sir Joshua 
Reynolds on this subject has been often quoted. 
He said, " All the motions of children are full of 
grace; affectation and distortion come in with the 
dancing master." To dancing itself there is not 
the slightest objection ; it is at once an agreeable 
and healthy occupation, and it affords a pleasing 
and innocent recreation. Xhe pleasure which most 
children take in it, in spite of the "exercises" 
which they are compelled to practise, proves, we 
think, its utility. 

The treatment of the feet is on a par with that 
of the rest of the body. The toes are thrust close 
together into a shoe, the shape of the sole of which 
does not resemble that of the foot. It is generally 
narrower than the foot, which, therefore, hangs over 



142 THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS, 



the sides. The soles of children's shoes are, more- 
over, made alike on both sides, whereas the inside 
should be nearly straight, and the width of the sole 
should correspond exactly with that of the foot. 
Boots, which have been so fashionable of late years, 
are very convenient, and have a neat appearance, 
but they are considered to weaken the ankle, be- 
cause the artificial support which they give to that 
part prevents the full exercise of the muscles, which 
waste from want of use. Shoes should be cut short 
in the quarter, because the pressure necessary to 
keep such shoes as are now worn on the feet will, in 
this case, be on the instep instead of the toes, which 
will, by this arrangement, have more room. 

We shall conclude our observations on children's 
dress, considered in a sanitary point of view, in the 
words of Mr. South. "If, then, you wish your chil- 
dren, girls especially, to have the best chance of 
health, and a good constitution, let them wear flan- 
nel next their skin, and woollen stockings in win- 
ter ; have your girls' chests covered to the collar 



THOUGHTS ON CHILDREN'S DRESS. 143 



bones, and tlieir shoulders in, not out of their dresses, 
if you would have them straight ; and do not confine 
their chests and compress their digestive organs by 
bone stays, or interfere with the free movement of 
their chests by tight belts, or any other contrivance, 
if you desire their lungs should do their duty, 
upon which so mainly depends the preservation of 
health." — Sharpens London Magazine. 



Note. — The Fig. 58, referred to on the top of page 59, is not 
found in the plate ; but the same style of dressing the hair may be 
seen in Fig. 57. 



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